Miami Arts
by heyitsme517
Summary: This is about Austin and Ally, who have been best friends since birth. They both apply to a performing arts high school, and this is a story all about the changes it causes in them! Many of you probably know me from my other stories, and if not, WELCOME. :D T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N - Hey! I wasn't planning on posting this until I finished "Playing Matchmaker", but I literally could not wait any longer, and people seem to be pretty excited... So, here it is... MIAMI ARTS.)**

"Ally," I shouted, while sprinting into the living room of the Dawson's house. I never really knock any more, Ally and I are close enough that she and her father do not care if I waltz in unannounced. I looked over and saw Mr. Dawson sprawled out on the couch, watching a football game. "Oh, hey, Lester," I called out, waving. He insists that I call him by his first name. "I got your mail for you."

I handed him a stack of envelopes and magazines, except for one, which I shoved into my hoodie pocket, alongside a matching envelope. "Uh, thanks," he said with a confused glance. "Why?"

"Well, when I checked my mailbox this morning," I explained, pulling the two envelopes from my pocket. "I noticed that I got my letter from Miami Arts. I knew Ally had to get hers too, so I raced over here and grabbed hers. I don't want to open mine until she does."

He nodded, smiling. "Oh, I really hope that my baby girl gets in," he said, turning his attention to the mail. "She wants this so badly. I hope you get in as well, Austin. I know how much this means to the two of you."

"Thanks," I said, grinning. "Is Ally in her room?" He nodded, turning his head back towards the television. I thanked him again and raced upstairs to Ally's room, which was empty. I heard water running in her connected bathroom, and her singing as well, so I know that she is taking a shower.

I wish she would hurry up, since I can't take the wait much longer, but there is no sense in rushing her. I flopped down onto her bed and listened to her amazing voice, which was currently at it's full potential. She only sang like that when she was either with me, or completely alone, in her bedroom or shower.

Suddenly, I heard the water turn off, and a few seconds later, the door popped open, revealing Ally soaking wet, wrapped in a towel. "_Austin_," she shouted, pulling the towel tighter and running towards her closet.

I politely covered my eyes and smiled. "Don't worry, Als," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm not looking. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen it all before. Now hurry up, this is important."

"Yeah," she replied. I could practically _hear_ her eye roll, that's how well I know her. "When we were seven years old. Things have changed a bit since then, Austin." I blushed, knowing she was right, before slamming a pillow over my face. "Just give me a few minutes to get dressed."

Ally and I have known each other practically since birth. Our mothers were in the same lamaze class, and we are a month apart in age. We have grown up together, as best friends, and have always been there for each other. At the age of four, when a mean boy yanked Ally's pigtails, I was the one who yelled at him and made him apologize. At the age of eight, when I fell off my bike and broke my arm, Ally was the one who helped me to my mother. When we were twelve, and Ally's mother died of cancer, I was the one to comfort her. We have been through thick and thin, and have remained best friends through it all.

I know what you're thinking - a boy and a girl have been friends for sixteen years, there must be more than that. Wrong. Ally and I are just friends. I'm not going to lie, I find both her looks and personality attractive, and we have had quite the number of flirty moments over the past few years. However, neither of us have ever admitted to more than friendly feelings, and I don't think that will change any time soon.

Anyway, at the end of our freshman year, Ally and I applied to Miami Arts, a performing arts high school. I applied for performing, while Ally applied for songwriting. We had to go through a written application, which they then made cuts on. Ally and I both made the cut, and the next stage was to audition. Ally was really nervous for hers, due to her stage fright. But, through my persuasion and support, plus a few minor mishaps, she made it onto the stage, and sang her heart out to one of the songs she wrote. To say that she is amazing would be an understatement. Not only are her lyrics wonderful, but she also has a great voice and can play almost any instrument. The perks of having a father who owns a music store. Anyway, I have confidence that both Ally and I nailed our auditions. Now, if she would just hurry up so that we can open our letters...

"You can look now," Ally said, sitting on the end of her bed while tying her curly brown hair into a loose bun. She was wearing a pair of running shorts and one of my old t-shirts. It wasn't exactly an_ 'Ally'_ outfit, but we were just chilling around the house, after all.

I pulled the pillow off my face and smiled at her. "Sorry about barging in," I said. She laughed, since, like I said, I walk into her house all the time. I have for many years. "Anyway, it's worth it for the news you're about to get."

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "What is it?" I pulled the envelopes out of my hoodie pocket, and handed her the one with her name. "Oh my gosh," she said, her eyes going wide. "Are these the acceptance letters?"

"Or rejection," I reminded her. She shot me a look, and I put my hands up in defense. "Hey, we can't just assume we got in. A lot of people auditioned, remember?" She sighed and nodded her head. "Okay," I said, clutching my envelope. "You first."

"No, you first," she replied, motioning for me to open my envelope.

I rolled my eyes. "No, you," I said. We continued our banter for a few more moments before I threw my hands up in the air. "Okay, together. One, two, _three_." We both tore into our envelopes, and I scanned my letter quickly.

After seeing the words,_ 'Congratulations, Austin Moon'_, I looked up to Ally excitedly. "I got in," I exclaimed. I scanned Ally's face as it quickly dropped, looking away from the letter, and from me. "No way," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her in a hug. "Als, I promise you're going to be fine. I'm not going to that school without you. If they don't want the best, then they are crazy."

"Thanks Austin," she mumbled into my chest. I pulled away and she wiped at her face before her sad look turned into a broad grin. She flipped the paper around and bounced up and down. "Except, I got in too."

"Ally," I shouted, swatting at her arm playfully. "Don't do that to me. I thought you were being serious. When did you get so good at acting, by the way?"

She giggled. "When I found out that I made it into the best performing arts highschool in Florida," she replied, with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm so excited, I can't believe we got in."

"I can," I said, standing up and pulling her into a giant hug. "Als, we made it. We're going to Miami Arts. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm so proud of _you_, Austin," she said, grinning up at me. "And thank you for helping me get through my audition. Without you by my side, I probably wouldn't have gotten onto the stage, let alone into the school."

"Don't say that," I said, ruffling her hair before sprawling out across her bed, taking up all the room. "You're so talented. You don't need me to help you, I'm just there for moral support."

"Well thanks," she said, as she grabbed her phone. "I have to tell Trish."

I nodded my head, pulling out my own phone. "I should probably tell Dez, too." Trish and Dez are our other best friends, from our current high school. It's going to be hard leaving them for this new school, but we all live pretty close, and hang out together outside of school a lot. We didn't have many classes with them as it is, since Ally and I have higher academic marks than them.

Ally is a whiz when it comes to language arts and science, but I'm a history and math buff. We help each other out, and make pretty great grades in the honors classes at our school. Trish and Dez are pretty smart, but are too lazy to apply themselves, so they are in lower classes. They are both really supportive of our decision for the new school, though, as long as we don't completely abandon them - which we would never even dream of.

After Trish and Dez congratulated us, and we promised to go out to celebrate later, Ally flopped onto what little room was left on her bed. "Als," I groaned, rolling over to give her room. "I was comfortable."

"And now, _I'm_ comfortable," she said, smirking over at me. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her. We sat there for a few more minutes, just smiling, until I heard something in the doorway.

"Austin, get off my sister's bed, before I kill you," a voice snapped so harshly, I rolled off the bed and onto the floor with a _'thud'_. I looked up to see Ally's seventeen year-old brother, Mason, doubled over laughing. "You should've seen your face," he exclaimed between laughter. "But I was just kidding, bro. You two have been best buds for forever, if you wanted to try something, you would have by now."

"Mason," Ally snapped, blushing lightly. "Get out. _Now_." He shrugged and walked out of the room before Ally leaned over the side of the bed, her head dropped in embarrassment. Even after sixteen years of friendship, some things still embarrass Ally in front of me. Most of the time, it is the mention of possible romance between us.

Not that I blame her, because even I get a little embarrassed. After being so close for so long, a lot of people think that Ally and I have a sibling-relationship. And although I am very protective of her, it's in more of a best friend way, than a brother way. Because, truth be told, I do have some supressed feelings for my best friend, Allyson Marie Dawson.

Nobody - and I mean nobody - knows that, though. Ally and I are flirtatious, and even though, in the end, we truly care for each other, there is nothing sibling-like about our friendship. "Austin?" she asked cautiously, lifting her head up. "Sorry about Mason."

"It's cool, Als," I said, shooting her a reassuring grin. She smiled in return. "People just don't understand our relationship. You would think our families would, but I guess nobody really believes that a girl and guy can be so close without something else going on." We both chuckled lightly, since we have been mistaken for a couple many times in the past.

"Right," Ally said, although she didn't sound completely convinced. We sat in an awkward silence for a few more moments, before I finally spoke up.

"So, let's go tell our families the great news about our acceptances," I suggested, pulling her to her feet and placing my hand on her back, leading her down the stairs to her father. "Lester," I shouted. "We have big news."

Mr. Dawson looked up at us with interest, and the look he shot me didn't go unnoticed. I silently put my hands up in the air, letting him know it was nothing like that. Ally's father and I have a secret way of communicating, through facial expressions and gestures. He shoots me dirty looks at the thought of me doing anything to Ally - as he probably assumes right now. Although he trusts me and has known me since I was born, I _am_ still a teenage boy, and Ally is a pretty girl. We also use the system to communicate things such as when Ally is in a bad mood, or for me to secretly follow Ally on dates that he thinks aren't suit for her - which is all of them.

I don't think Ally knows of our secret communication, nor would she mind, because we are just looking out for her. I looked back to Mr. Dawson, who made a go-on motion. "Well," Ally said, bursting with excitement. "We both got accepted into Miami Arts."

"That's great," he exclaimed, jumping off the couch and running over to pull us both into hugs. "I'm so proud of you two." We both thanked him and told Mason the news, who was also pretty excited for us. To be honest, Mason isn't a terrible guy. We are actually pretty good friends, since I spend so much time at the Dawson's, and we are only a year apart in age. However, he is extremely lazy, and teases Ally a lot.

We both thanked them and I grabbed Ally's hand, pulling her out the door. "Where are we going?" she groaned, reaching up to fix her hair. "You could have at least let me change clothes."

"Chill, Als," I said, walking down the driveway. "We're just going to my house. And you look beautiful, as always, so don't freak out about your clothes or hair."

"You think I'm beautiful?" Ally asked softly.

I rolled my eyes. "I only tell you that at least once a day," I said, chuckling lightly. But then, I shot her a serious glance. "But, yes, I do think so. You're wonderful, Ally, and you really need to stop underappreciating yourself. That's not how any best friend of Austin Moon should act."

"Well, your confidence is contagious," she said. Then she giggled. "And you have enough of it to fill both of our heads, so I don't think that's a problem." I rolled my eyes once again, and we walked to my house, which was only a few doors down. On top of being in the same lamaze class, our parents also bought houses very close to each other.

I opened my front door and ushered her inside. "Mom," I shouted. She came running into the foyer with a worried look.

"Who's hurt? What did you break? Who do I need to write a check to?" she shot a string of questions at me, before her eyes settled on Ally. "Oh, hello, Ally," she said, pulling her into a hug.

"Hi, Ma," Ally said, grinning at her. Ally often referred to my mother as her own, since her real mother died. None of us mind it all, since Ally is practically family. But, again - there is no sibling-relationship between us. That would be awkward.

"Well, what's the news?" my mother asked. I had briefly mentioned to her and my father before I ran to Ally's that I got my letter, but wasn't opening it yet.

"We both made it in," I said, grinning.

My mother squealed, and pulled us into a giant hug. "Oh, I knew you two would," she exclaimed. "Mike, Elizabeth, get down here." My father and five year-old sister came down the stairs, and we told them the news.

I smiled as Elizabeth latched onto Ally's leg. "Hey, Lizzie," Ally said quietly, giving her a big hug and smile. I grinned, because Ally is always so good with children. Lizzie has taken a particular liking to her, and Ally helps me babysit all the time.

"Well, this calls for celebration," my mother said, clapping her hands. Then, she paused. "Actually, your father and I are going out to eat tonight. Would you mind if we postpone the celebration until tomorrow night? You guys can bring Lester, Mason, Trish, and Dez, too." We nodded, saying it was a great idea. "Oh, and Austin, can you babysit Lizzie tonight?"

I sighed. "Sure thing," I said, ruffling my little sister's hair. Then I ruffled Ally's hair, which was easy since she is almost a whole foot shorter than me. "I got my backup here already, anyway. Do you have plans tonight, Als?"

"Nope," she said, smiling. "I'm free." My mother thanked us both for agreeing to watch Lizzie on such late notice, before grabbing her purse and being ushered out the door by my father.

"Have fun, and please be safe," my mother called over her shoulder. "And Ally, please make sure Austin doesn't try to light anything in the toilet on fire again." I felt my cheeks grow hot at the memory, while Ally laughed beside me, remembering that day as well. Not even that could bring me down right now, though. In one week, summer will be over, but that's okay. Because my best friend and I will be attending the best performing arts highschool in Florida, living our dream.

**(A/N - well, that is the first chapter! If you are a reader that follows me story to story, I want to thank you for being so loyal. (: and if you are brand new, welcome, I am **_Heyitsme517_**. I wanted to finish my other story first, but I thought I might as well post it, because people seemed pretty excited about it! Now, prove that excitement with some AWESOME reviews! Thanks for reading!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N - WOW, 20 reviews on the first chapter? you guys are absolutely the best. (: Here's the next chapter, please enjoy!)**

"Okay, Lizzie," Ally said, clapping her hands together. "What do you want to do tonight?" My parents just left for dinner, and we would be babysitting Lizzie for the next few hours, until she crashes. By that time, Ally will probably end up spending the night, as she often does.

"Let's make cookies, Ally," Lizzie said excitedly, running towards the kitchen. Ally smiled over at me and motioned for me to follow.

"Eh, that's woman's work," I teased, earning me a playful glare from Ally. I threw my hands up in defense. "Kidding! But I do need to go take a shower, so I will be down in a few minutes, okay?"

Ally plugged her nose. "Oh, so that's what that smell is?" she asked, feigning disgust. I laughed sarcastically, since she was teasing me now. "Okay, go take a shower, I can handle babysitting by myself for a few minutes." I thanked her and bolted up the stairs to my room.

I stripped off my pajamas, which I wore over to Ally's earlier. That's how excited I was to open our letters, that I didn't even change first. I hopped into the shower, and stepped out a few minutes later, feeling and smelling a lot better. My new outfit consisted of a pair of jeans and a Hollister t-shirt. Normally, I dress to impress, but I'm only in my house for the night, so it doesn't really matter.

After messing my hair up a bit, I ran back downstairs, stopping in the entryway to the kitchen. I smiled at the sight before me, Ally and Lizzie making chocolate chip cookies, rolling them into balls of dough and placing them in the oven. They both looked like they were having a good time.

I walked over to the counter and leaned over Ally's shoulder, swiping a bit of raw cookie dough. "Yum," I said, grinning as I stuck the dough in my mouth. Ally turned around and swatted my hand with the wooden spoon she used to mix the dough.

"Uh uh," she said, waving the spoon in my direction. "You don't get any more until they are baked." I smirked and wrapped one of my arms around her, pulling her close to me and restricting any movement. I used my free hand to snatch some more dough from the bowl, while Ally protested beside me. "Austin," she sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Okay, I'm done," I said, smiling and putting my hands up in surrender. She smiled back and continued baking the cookies, but not before rolling up a dish towel and snapping me with it. "Ouch," I mumbled, rubbing my arm, where the towel hit me. Ally and Lizzie both tried to stifle giggles, and eventually finished baking the cookies.

I reached for one, and tried to eat it. "They're hot," Ally warned, as I dropped the burning cookie, fanning my mouth. Ally shook her head in mock disappointment. "You never listen, do you?"

I shook my head and smiled. "After sixteen years, you'd think you would understand that," I said, sticking my tongue out at her.

"And after sixteen years, you'd think you would understand that I'm always right," Ally said, flicking my ear and placing the cookies on a plate. "Here, Lizzie," she said, handing her a cooled cookie, then pouring a glass of milk.

"Thanks, Ally," she said, giggling. I love the way that Lizzie sounds when she speaks, because she is missing two of her front teeth. She has a lisp, and it reminds me of the lisp that Ally had when we were younger. It was too adorable.

"Come on, Austin," Ally called over her shoulder, carring a plate of cookies into the living room. I had gotten lost in my thoughts and spaced out. I grabbed the two glasses of milk that Ally left on the counter, and followed her to the couch. Lizzie was sprawled out in a small princess chair, and was currently watching the movie _Up_.

I set the milk down next to the cookies and then placed myself next to Ally on the couch. "Hello, my name is Doug," I said, mocking the voice of the cartoon dog. Ally laughed so hard that she spit out the piece of cookie that was currently in her mouth. That only made me laugh, and soon we were leaning into each other's sides, cracking up.

By the end of the movie, many of the cookies and all of the milk was gone. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard, and Lizzie looked like she was about to fall asleep. "Come on, Lizzie," I whispered, scooping her up in my arms and carrying her up the stairs to her bedroom. Ally followed me, and we tucked her in together.

"How about you tell the bed time story tonight, Lizzie?" I suggested, hoping to wear her out to the point where she would fall asleep easily.

She nodded her head, and began the story. "Once upon a time," she said happily. "In a far away land, there was a beautiful princess named Ally. She was so beautiful, that every boy in the land loved her, even a prince named Derek." Ally shot me a questioning glance, but I just shrugged my shoulders, since he is probably a character that Lizzie made up.

"But Princess Ally didn't love Prince Derek," Lizzie continued. "She really liked a peasant, a boy named Austin." I stiffened, knowing where this was going. It was the same type of story Lizzie always told - a romance between Ally and I. But she is only five years old, she doesn't know any better. "Anyway, Austin tried all he could to get Princess Ally to notice him, because he didn't know that she liked him as much as he liked her. One day, Austin finally asked Ally on a date, and they fell in love. He became Prince Austin, and one day they got married. The end."

I smiled down at Lizzie, and looked over to Ally to see her doing the same. "That was a good story, Lizzie," Ally said, tucking the comforter closer around her.

"Thank you," Lizzie giggled quietly. "Will you guys sing me a song before bed?" I looked over to Ally and she nodded, shrugging her shoulders. Ally and I switched off singing every verse, both of singing quietly so Lizzie would fall asleep.

_Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer _  
_In the hills and highlands _  
_I fall asleep in hospital parking lots _  
_And awake in your mouth_

_Hello Seattle, I am a mantaray _  
_Deep beneath the blue waves _  
_I'll crawl the sandy bottom of Puget Sound _  
_And construct a summer home_

_Hello Seattle, I am the crescent moon _  
_Shining down on your face _  
_I will disguise myself as a sleeping pill _  
_And descend inside of you_

_Hello Seattle, I am a cold seahorse _  
_Feeling warm in your sand _  
_I sing about the tide and the ocean surf _  
_Rolling in the evening breeze_

_Hello Seattle, I am an albatross _  
_On the docks and your boats _  
_I sail above your inlets and interstates _  
_Through the rain and open wind_

_Hello Seattle, I am an old lighthouse _  
_Throwing beams of bright lights_  
_ Red in the morning, blue in the evening sun _  
_Taking heed from everyone_

_Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer _  
_In the hills and highlands _  
_I fall asleep in hospital parking lots_

_Take me above your light _  
_Carry me through the night _  
_Hold me secure in flight _  
_Sing me to sleep tonight_

_Take me above your light _  
_Carry me through the night _  
_Hold me secure in flight _  
_Sing me to sleep tonight _**(1)**

Although we were singing quietly, it still sounded really good. About halfway through the song, Lizzie fell asleep and was now gently snoring. "Come on, Princess Ally," I whispered, pulling her towards the door. When we were away from Lizzie's room, I turned to smile at her. "So, are you heading home?"

"It's too far," she mumbled sleepily.

I chuckled quietly. "It's three doors down, Als," I reminded her. She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I don't mind you spending the night. Do you want to go watch another movie?"

She grinned and nodded her head, tugging me towards the living room. When I asked what movie she wanted to watch, she plopped down onto the couch, laying across the whole thing. "Surprise me," she said. I slipped her favorite movie,_ Finding Nemo_, into the DVD player, but I am pretty sure she is too tired to pay attention.

"Scooch over," I said, walking over to the couch. She shook her head and made no attempt to move. "Fine," I sighed, lifting her head up and sitting down carefully, replacing her head in my lap. "Comfy?" She nodded her head, smiling, and I pressed Play.

Not even ten minutes later, I heard her snoring quietly. I didn't want to wake her, so I lifted her small frame up in my arms and carried her up the stairs to my bedroom. I layed her on one side of my king-sized bed, tucking the covers around her. Then I changed into pajamas and layed on the other side, a respectable distance from Ally, as we have done many times over the years.

My bed is big enough that it isn't awkward when we both sleep in it. "What am I going to do with you, Als?" I asked, looking over at her. She looked so angelic while asleep, many years younger than she really is. "Goodnight," I whispered, settling into a heavy sleep.

* * *

I woke up and felt a warm body curled up against mine. I looked down to see that not only were my arms wrapped around Ally, but she had hers wrapped around mine as well. The only time we ever sleep like this is when I am comforting her, so this is going to be hard to explain when she wakes up.

I tried to pull away slowly, but I must have moved too much, because Ally's eyes fluttered open. "Good morning," she whispered, smiling at me sleepily. She nuzzled her head into my chest, but moments later, pulled away. "What?" she asked, wide-eyed. We both pulled our arms away, blushing.

"Sorry about that," I said, rolling out of bed and walking over to my closet, pulling on a new t-shirt. I stepped out of my pajama pants and into a pair of jeans before walking back into my room.

"Don't be," Ally said, hopping off the bed. "It was as much my fault as it was yours. Not that there was really any fault..." She trailed off, blushing. "Anyway, I'm going to head home and shower, so come over in like, an hour, alright? We can check out the information packets for the school before your parents throw our celebration tonight." I agreed, and she started to leave. "And this time, try not to walk in while I'm showering, okay?" It was now my turn to blush, and Ally walked down to her house, smirking.

I texted Trish and Dez about the celebration dinner tonight, and then got ready for the day. After sitting around almost an hour, I told my mother that everyone was going to show up for the celebration tonight.

I walked over to the Dawson's house and let myself in. "Sup, Mason," I said, nodding my head at him. He waved before turning his head back to a baseball game, stuffing chips into his mouth. I guess Ally's dad is running Sonic Boom right now. I asked him to give Ally some more time off, since for a while, she had been very overworked. He agreed, trusting my judgement of my best friend, and limited her to working four days a week. Today was one of her days off.

I climbed the stairs up to Ally's room, where she was sprawled out on her bed, flipping through a large book that I recognized as the Miami Arts informational packet. "This is going to be so awesome," I said, taking a seat next to Ally. We flipped through the booklet for a few hours, learning as much as we could about the campus, curriculum, policies, and supplies that we will need.

At some point, Mr. Dawson came home, and greeted us both, asking how the school looked. My mother texted me saying it was almost time for the dinner celebration, and Ally, Mr. Dawson, Mason, and I walked down to my house.

Dez and Trish were already there, gathered at the table with my parents and Lizzie. "Hey guys," I exclaimed, as we all took our seats.

After eating a great meal that my mother prepared, Mr. Dawson stood up, raising his glass. "A toast to Austin and Ally," he announced, raising his water in the air. "As they take their next step in the journey of life, doing what they love: making music. These two teenagers are definitely going to make it far in life, and most likely as best friends, like they have for the past sixteen years. Congrats, kids."

Everyone else congratulated us as we clicked our glasses together. "Thank you," Ally and I said in unison. She smiled over at me and I reached out and gave her knee a squeeze.

Next, my parents and Mr. Dawson presented us with gifts, in honor of our acceptances. I opened up my box to find a cherry red electric guitar. "Wow, that's awesome," Ally exclaimed. She reached for her own box, and pulled it open, revealing a brand new leather journal, and a framed vintage Beatles record, signed by all of them. "This is great," she exclaimed, flipping through the book and gazing adoringly at the record.

"And of course you have gifts for each other," my mother said, motioning for us to continue. Ally and I both nodded, grinning at each other.

Ally handed me a small box, which contained a leather bracelet. It was carved to say,_ 'Best friends forever, A&A. Music moves us.'_, with a heart at the end. "I love it, Als," I said, sliding the bracelet onto my wrist. Then I handed her my box.

She opened it and gasped when she saw the solid black music note, hanging on a nice silver chain. The back was engraved, reading, _'Never leave the friendship, never lose the music. A&A.'_ "It's beautiful," she said smiling. "Did you write that quote yourself?" I nodded my head, and she grinned, since she knows I am not good at putting feelings into words.

I clipped the chain carefully around her neck, letting my fingers brush against her skin lightly. She shivered, making me smile. "We made it, Ally," I whispered, pulling her into a huge embrace. "We're going to have a great time at this school." She nodded her head into my chest, and smiled. We finished the celebration with a few songs, and had a great time with the people who love and support us the most.

**(A/N - well, this is the second chapter! I know it was focused a lot on Austin and Ally's friendship, but the next one will start at the school. Thanks for leaving such abundant, awesome reviews on the first chapter, and I would greatly appreciate it if you continued, since reviews keep me going! (: Thanks!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N - you guys are really impressing me with the reviews! Keep it up! :D I don't own "Tonight, Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae, or "This is Me" by Demi Lovato. Enjoy the third chapter!)**

"Ally, hurry up," I groaned, knocking on my best friend's bedroom door. Today was our first day at Miami Arts highschool, and I want to get there early enough to receive our schedules and find our way around.

"Give me one more minute," she called back, as I heard a bunch of shuffling in the room. A few moments later, the lock popped open, revealing Ally standing there. "How do I look?" she asked.

I scanned her outfit, a flowery skirt and a white blouse with a brown vest. She had on a pair of brown ankle boots, and her bangs were pinned back, allowing her curly hair to settle at her shoulders. "You look like Ally," I said, smiling.

She smiled back and grabbed a messanger bag, hustling down the stairs. After grabbing a banana from the kitchen, we headed out the front door to my car. "Good luck today," Mr. Dawson shouted after us, waving.

We thanked him and hopped into my large blue pickup truck. "Are you excited?" I asked Ally, who was practically bouncing in her seat. I pulled out of the driveway and started on the short drive to our new highschool, ready for whatever challenges it may throw towards us.

"Is that even a question?" Ally asked, grinning like a child in a candy shop. "Today is going to be awesome. The rest of our highschool lives are going to be awesome."

I chuckled at her usual enthusiasm, and pulled into the school parking lot. "Okay, so first we need to go get our schedules and pick lockers," I said, remembering what the informational packet said. "Then, we will probably have like, twenty minutes to explore before first period."

"I hope we have classes together," Ally said nervously, as she looked at the large school in front of us. It was two floors, with a fountain in front. You could already tell that this isn't a normal school, by the flashy paint colors, and graphic designs everywhere. Many of the students were different as well, some with oddly colored hair, others in costume. "And can we be locker buddies?"

"Of course, Als," I said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. "Don't be nervous, okay? We're going to have an awesome time here, and if you need anything, I'll be here for you."

"You always are," Ally said, smiling. I grinned in return, and grabbed my backpack from the back seat. We both stepped out of the truck, walking closely together to the large entrance of the school. As soon as we stepped in, I noticed a table set up, with teachers and administrators. They had bright slips of paper in their hands, which I assumed were our schedules.

Luckily, the lines weren't that long, since we are here pretty early. I stepped into the line that would contain my last name, while Ally stepped into another line. "Moon," I said to the lady sitting in front of me.

"Austin?" she asked, stopping at a bright yellow sheet of paper. I nodded. "It's great to have you here," she said with a smile. "The colors of the schedules are only based on how well your audition went. Of course, if you got in, you are pretty great, but this just categorizes you based on performance and academics. Yellow is the best, by the way." I grinned, looking over and seeing a man handing Ally a yellow slip as well. "Your classes are printed in order, and there is a map on the back. Here is a lock. You may go choose any locker that doesn't already have a lock on it, and claim it as yours. The first class will begin in about thirty minutes, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

I thanked her, trying to remember everything she said, and walked back over to Ally. "Let's go pick lockers," she said, excitedly. We walked to a small section of lockers, and picked two directly next to each other. "Let me see your schedule," she demanded.

I handed her the paper and scanned them over her shoulder. "Woah, we have every class together," I exclaimed, hugging her from behind. "This is going to be great."

She nodded her head in agreement. "It totally is," she said, handing my schedule back to me.

"You two are a really cute couple," a voice said from behind us. We turned to see a girl standing there. She was a little bit taller than Ally, with dyed black hair, and a lot of makeup. She was pretty, but definitely not my type. Besides, I already have eyes for a certain brunette - stop it, Austin.

"Thanks, but we're not a couple," Ally answered, shooting her a smile. I rested my chin on top of Ally's head, and rolled my eyes. Then I smiled at the girl, hoping to make a new friend. "We're just best friends."

"Sixteen years and counting," I added, giving Ally a wet willie. She smacked my hand away and pouted at me.

"Yeah, okay," the girl said, disbelievingly. "Like I haven't heard that one before. Anyways, if you two aren't a couple, you should be." We thanked her as she walked away, waving.

"Not even five minutes, and we've already been mistaken for a couple," I said, trying to cover my blush. "I wonder how many times we're going to get that."

"Who cares?" Ally asked, but I could see a faint pink in her cheeks as well. I shrugged my shoulders, and we began walking around, locating all of our classes, the cafeteria, and the auditorium.

"What do you think so far?" I asked Ally, nudging her with my elbow. We have been exploring for about twenty minutes, and to say the campus is amazing would be an understatement.

"It's great," Ally exclaimed, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Do you think we should start heading to our first class soon?" I nodded my head, and asked her what it was. She checked her schedule. "Homeroom. It's room 213."

We checked the map, then headed up the stairs to the classroom. It was already half filled with students, but the teacher was not there yet. Ten minutes later, there was an announcement saying that first period was beginning. We all took our seats, and glanced around the room, searching for the teacher. After a few minutes, we all started giving each other questioning glances. "What's going on?" I asked Ally, looking over at her.

"What is going on," a female voice said. "Is that I am Mrs. Marly, and I want to welcome you to homeroom." We all glanced around again, in search of the voice, when a small woman descended from the ceiling with a rope. What the heck? She landed right in front of me, and smacked her hands on my desk. "And who are you?"

"Austin Moon," I said cautiously, shooting her a grin. She smiled back and walked to the front of the room. I glanced at Ally with a weirded out expression, and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, class," the woman said, clapping her hands. "Again, I am Mrs. Marly, and this is your homeroom. I'm sure many of you were surprised by my entrance, but you should know that I am a bit odd, and enjoy the element of surprise, so get used to weird things happening." As if on cue, she picked up an orange, with a straw sticking out of it. When seeing our confused faces, she shrugged. "I like fresh orange juice."

Okay, this is just getting weirder and weirder. "Welcome to Miami Arts," she continued. "I see that you all have yellow schedules, which means you are the best both through talent and academics. This class is probably different than any homeroom that you have had at other schools. In this class, I am here to see what you've got, and to lead you in the right direction. Basically, I'm here to be your buddy. Don't think of me as a coach, because you will have teachers who focus on certain aspects of talent. Some of you may be singers, others may be dancers, and others might be actors. I'm here as a counselor, of sorts."

I honestly don't understand how this crazy lady could be a counselor, but whatever. "So, what exactly will we be doing in here?" I asked.

She smiled. "You're just full of questions, aren't you?" she asked. It wasn't condescending or sarcastic. It actually seemed like she admired my curiosity. "Well, the next few days are going to be fun. You all can come up here and show off your talent. And since you are so curious, Austin, you can come up first."

Being the confident guy that I am, I agreed. "I'm going to sing Tonight, Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae," I said to the class. A few people applauded at my song choice, and I began to sing.

_It's been a really really messed up week_  
_Seven days of torture, seven days of bitter _  
_And my girlfriend went and cheated on me _  
_She's a California dime but it's time for me to quit her_

_La la la, whatever, la la la, it doesn't matter, la la la, oh well, la la la_

_We're going at it tonight tonight _  
_There's a party on the rooftop top of the world _  
_Tonight tonight and were dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign _  
_I don't know if I'll make it but watch how good I'll fake it _  
_It's all right, all right, tonight, tonight_

_I woke up with a strange tattoo _  
_Not sure how I got it, not a dollar in my pocket _  
_And it kinda looks just like you _  
_Mixed with Zach Galifianakis_

_La la la, whatever, la la la, it doesn't matter, la la la, oh well, la la la_

_We're going at it tonight tonight _  
_There's a party on the rooftop top of the world _  
_Tonight tonight and were dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign _  
_I don't know if I'll make it but watch how good I'll fake it _  
_It's all right, all right, tonight, tonight_

_You got me singing like _  
_Woah, come on, ohh, it doesn't matter,_  
_Woah, everybody now, ohh_

_Just don't stop let's keep the beat pumpin'_  
_Keep the beat up, lets drop the beat down _  
_It's my party dance if I want to _  
_We can get crazy let it all out_

_Just don't stop let's keep the beat pumpin'_  
_Keep the beat up, lets drop the beat down _  
_It's my party dance if I want to _  
_We can get crazy let it all out_

_It's you and me and were runnin this town _  
_And it's me and you and were shakin the ground _  
_And ain't nobody gonna tell us to go cause this is our show_

_Everybody _  
_Woah, come on, ohh, all you animals _  
_Woah, let me hear you now, ohh_

_Tonight tonight there's a party on the rooftop top of the world _  
_Tonight tonight and were dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign _  
_I don't know if I'll make it but watch how good I'll fake it _  
_It's all right, all right, tonight, tonight _  
_It's all right, all right, tonight, tonight _  
_Yeah it's all right, all right, tonight, tonight_

_Just singing like _  
_Woah, come on, ohh, all you party people _  
_Woah, all you singletons, ohh, even the white kids_

_Just don't stop lets keep the beat pumpin'_  
_Keep the beat up, lets drop the beat down _  
_It's my party dance if I want to _  
_We can get crazy let it all out_

_Just don't stop lets keep the beat pumpin'_  
_Keep the beat up, lets drop the beat down _  
_It's my party dance if I want to_  
_ We can get crazy let it all out_

I danced around throughout the entire song, and even borrowed a guitar from Mrs. Marly to play. Everyone clapped for me, and I bowed to the applause. "Wow, Austin," Mrs. Marly said, nodding her head in approval. "I can see why you nailed your audition. Who would like to go next?" A few people raised their hands, but I noticed Ally sliding down in her seat a bit. "How about you?" she said, gesturing to Ally.

She bit her lip and shot me a terrified look. Ally is insanely talented, but she has stage fright, because she fears rejection. "Als," I whispered. "You can totally do this. You nailed your audition, and you want to break your stage fright by attending this school, right?" She nodded her head. "Now is the perfect time to start, then. Come on, you can do it."

She shot me a grateful smile and agreed to sing. "I'm Ally Dawson," she said nervously. "I'm going to sing a song that I wrote myself." Everyone looked a bit impressed that she writes, and then she started to sing. She sang quietly at first, but then locked eyes with me and began to belt the song out.

_I've always been the kind of girl _  
_That hid my face _  
_So afraid to tell the world _  
_What I've got to say _  
_But I have this dream _  
_Right inside of me _  
_I'm gonna let it show, it's time _  
_To let you know _  
_To let you know_

_This is real, this is me _  
_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now _  
_Gonna let the light, shine on me _  
_Now I've found, who I am _  
_There's no way to hold it in _  
_No more hiding who I want to be _  
_This is me_

_Do you know what it's like _  
_To feel so in the dark _  
_To dream about a life _  
_Where you're the shining star _  
_Even though it seems _  
_Like it's too far away _  
_I have to believe in myself _  
_It's the only way_

_This is real, this is me _  
_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now _  
_Gonna let the light, shine on me _  
_Now I've found, who I am _  
_There's no way to hold it in _  
_No more hiding who I want to be _  
_This is me_

When she was finished singing, everyone - and I mean _everyone -_ in the classroom stood up and clapped for her. A few boys in the back whistled, and I shot them stony stares before turning back to Ally. "That was amazing, Als," I whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace. "See, you can totally do this. All you needed was a little faith in yourself."

"And a little confidence borrowed from the great Austin Moon," she said, giggling. Mrs. Marly got the class settled back down, and Ally and I both took our seats.

"Moon, Dawson," she said, smiling. "Are you two a couple? Because if so, you are adorable." We shook our heads and said that we weren't. "Oh, well, there isn't much time left today, so I will just tell you all a few things. One, next week is homecoming week. There are spirit days - which are mandatory. Thursday night, there will be a large talent show, where you can display your talent. And then, Friday, there will be a dance."

Everyone seemed excited at the idea of homecoming week. The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Ally and I gathered our things and exited the classroom. "Well, that was different," I said. We stood around for a few moments, because there are ten minutes between classes.

"No kidding," she laughed. Then she turned to me, her eyes shining brightly. "But I can't believe I just sang in front of people. You do know that the only reason I could do that is because you were there, right? I only feel comfortable singing all out to you." I smiled at her.

"Then, I promise to always be there for you when you perform," I said, truly meaning it.

"You both did really good in homeroom," a voice said from behind us. We spun around to see a girl from our first class, with short blonde hair and large, hipster glasses. "I'm Bella. I'm here for dancing. I wanted to tell you how great you were singing today. Austin, you ooze confidence, and are a overall outstanding performer. Ally, I could tell that you were a bit nervous, but you shouldn't be, because you're incredible."

"Thanks," Ally and I said together.

Bella dropped her voice a bit. "And, Jake Rosen was especially impressed," she said to Ally, winking.

"Who is that?" Ally asked. Bella pointed to a boy across the hall, about my height with reddish-brown hair. Just by the looks of him, he seemed popular. He smiled and waved at Ally, while she giggled and waved back. "He's kind of cute," Ally said quietly, turning back around.

I felt my body go stiff as I glared daggers into the back of this guy's head. "Austin?" I heard Ally ask, tugging on my elbow. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head and smiled down at her. "Oh, nothing, Als," I said, trying to convince her.

As I expected, it didn't work. "Don't even try that with me, Moon," she said, shooting me a look. "I've known you for sixteen years, I know when something is bugging you." I told her again that it was nothing to worry about. "I'll let it slide for now. Come on, let's go to math." She grabbed my wrist and started tugging me in the direction of our next class. My head is swirling with thoughts. Was I just - _jealous?_

**(A/N - If you haven't figured it out yet, this is going to be a slowly building Auslly story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, review! If you didn't, review! If you wish you could live on Mars, review! :D thanks for reading!)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N - Here's the next chapter! Sorry I'm a bit late today, I kept getting distracted while writing :P But this is the longest chapter so far, so it makes up for it, right? (: I don't own "Give your Heart a Break". Demi Lovato does! Enjoy!)**

Our academic classes are pretty boring, just as they are in normal highschools. However, the teachers are what make the classes bearable - and Ally being in the classes. The teachers are all a bit crazy - not as much as Mrs. Marly, but still. "What's next?" I whispered to Ally in the seat next to me.

Our chemistry teacher was going through lab rules, that are immensely obvious. I mean, who would drink a chemical? "Lunch," Ally whispered back, after checking her schedule. I have already misplaced my schedule in my backpack, so I have to keep asking Ally. Thank goodness we have the same classes.

"Finally," I said, a bit loud. A few people turned towards us, and I ducked my head down, while Ally giggled. A few minutes later, the bell rang, and everyone darted out the door, ready for the hour-long lunch break. "Freedom," I exclaimed as we stepped outside the school, into the outside eating area.

"Only for the next hour," Ally reminded me. I rolled my eyes and we walked to the food stand. Ally ordered a salad, and I got a hotdog. Ally tried to hand the lunchman money, but I put my hand over hers, slipping him enough money for both of us. "Austin, you have to stop doing that, or I'll make you go broke. I have a job, remember?"

"Als," I said, as we walked towards a table. I took a seat on the bench next to her, even though the table seats eight. "Exactly, you _earn_ your money. Therefore, you shouldn't have to spend it all the time. My parents just hand me money, when I do nothing to deserve it. Plus, I don't pay for you because I think I have to. I like to."

"Thanks, Austin," she said, sending me a warm smile. "But the next time we go somewhere, I'm paying." I didn't even bother to argue, because we have this same conversation all the time. "How's your hotdog?"

I smiled over at her, and handed her the food, so she could take a bite. "You tell me," I said, chuckling. She graciously took a bite, making a satisfied noise before handing the hotdog back to me.

"Amazing," she said, grinning. I couldn't help but chuckle, because she had ketchup on the corner of her mouth. I grabbed a napkin and wiped at her face for her. "Thanks," she said, gazing over at me. It was moments like this when I understand why people confuse us for a couple. We have sweet, flirty moments all the time.

"Hey guys," a cheerful voice said. We looked up to see Bella sitting across the table from us, waving. We both greeted her, and I think that she may be a new friend to us. We definitely aren't trying to replace Trish and Dez, but it would be nice to have a few other friends at this new school.

"Hi, Bella," I said, smiling. Ally did the same. We all sat and talked about our classes so far today. Bella was in our math and history classes as well as homeroom.

"Hey there, Ally," a husky voice said from behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see Jake, the boy from this morning, grinning down at Ally. "I just wanted to let you know that I think you are a really great singer. You were awesome in homeroom today."

"Thanks," Ally said, smiling. "I can't wait to see what you do in class tomorrow." He grinned and walked off, waving.

"Ally has a crush," Bella said in a sing-song voice. Ally rolled her eyes. "I hope you realize that Jake Rosen is the most popular guy at this school."

"I don't care about popularity," Ally said, making me smile.

Bella glanced over at me. "Then why do you keep Austin around?" she asked. I shot her a confused look. "I'm just saying. You ooze confidence, and I can tell you are a people person." I relaxed when I realized that it was a compliment.

"Austin and I have been best friends for sixteen years," Ally said, while I agreed. Bella nodded her head in understanding. "Besides, Austin isn't all that popular." She gave me a small shove.

"Watch it, Dawson," I said, glaring playfully. "I'm your ride home, remember?" She stuck her tongue out at me, then went back to eating her salad. Bella just watched us with an amused look. "What?"

"You guys are so funny," she said, chuckling. "Seeing two people interact, who have known each other so long is actually really comical." I shot her a questioning glance, but shrugged it off.

When lunch was over, I threw away Ally's trash, and we walked back inside the school. "So," I said quietly to Ally, wanting to know something. "Do you like that Jack guy?"

"It's _Jake_," Ally said. "And no. At least, I don't think so. He's cute, and seems to be a pretty cool guy, but I don't really know him, so no, I don't like him." That made me relax a bit, but I was still a little worked up over the idea of Ally even possibly liking this guy. "What's gotten into you?"

I looked down to see Ally peering up at me with a worried face. "Nothing," I said, ruffling her hair a bit. "I'm just watching out for my best friend. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. Then she smacked my arm. "That was for messing up my hair." I chuckled, and we began walking off to our next class, which was called Independent Studies. According to the informational packet, it is when you get to go to any classroom that you want, to further your talent. For example, if you are an actress, you can go to a drama class. If you are a dancer, you can go to one of the dancing classes.

Or, in our case, if you are a musician, you can go to one of the many music rooms found across the campus. The cool thing about this class is that it is practically free roam, and the teachers are only there for guidance. It is also two hours long, because Miami Arts claims that they are here to unleash and nurture our talent.

Ally and I found a music room that was empty, and a few minutes later, it seemed like nobody else was coming. This room was smaller with only a few, older instruments in it. All the other musical students probably went to find one of the better rooms, but this was just fine for Ally and I to work in. It is similar to what the practice room above her father's music store, Sonic Boom, used to look like. But we renovated it about a year ago, and now it looks awesome.

"Are you thinking about doing the talent show?" Ally asked me, taking a seat at the old piano.

I nodded my head. "Totally," I exclaimed. "It would be really fun. Plus, I hear that it's in the spirit of homecoming week."

"Were you thinking of doing a cover, or do you want to write something?" she asked, playing an unfamiliar tune across the ivory keys in front of her. I took a seat next to her, resting my leg and shoulder against hers.

"A new song would be cool," I said. "But you know I can't write." Ally is an amazing writer, and we have even written together before. But I am not very good at writing songs.

"Well," she said, glancing over at me. "I was thinking that maybe we could write a song together, and then you could sing it for the show."

"You should perform too, Als," I said, nudging her with my elbow. "You sang in front of the class today, you can totally do it."

"Austin, the only reason I could do that was because you were sitting right there," she said, her voice raising a little bit. "The only way I would be able to perform at the talent show is if you are sitting on the end of the stage. Obviously we can't do that."

"Or, we could do a duet," I suggested, looking over at her. She smiled at the idea, and nodded.

"Yeah, I bet we could," she said, placing her fingers on the piano keys and playing a new tune. Then she stopped and turned towards me. "What kind of song do you want to do?"

"An upbeat song," I said immediately. Like I said, Ally is an amazing writer, but she often writes down, slow songs.

"Well, if it's going to be upbeat, then it's going to be a love song," she said, smirking. I groaned, because I have never liked love songs, and Ally knows that. I don't like love songs because I think the term 'love' is thrown around way too easily, and should only be used if you mean it. She began playing another tune, and I nodded my head to the music, putting in a few notes of my own, while recording the notes on paper. "That's the song," Ally exclaimed happily as she finished.

"Now it just needs lyrics," I said, smiling. "I'll come over tonight and we can write some, okay?" She nodded her head excitedly, as the final bell of the day rang. "Wow, those two hours flew by."

"Yeah, let's go," she said, gathering her things, then pulling me by the hand towards the hallway. We started walking towards the parking lot, but Ally stopped to use the bathroom. I leaned against a row of lockers, waiting for her to finish up.

Suddenly, the girl from before school this morning, with the black hair walked up to me. "Can I get to my locker, please?" she asked, pointing at the one behind me.

I smiled and slid over. "Sorry about that, just waiting for somebody," I said, as she dialed in her combination.

"That girl, Ally?" she asked. I looked at her with raised eyebrows, which made her laugh. "Oh, please, don't give me that look. You so obviously like her, and I'm sure she likes you back. If not, she's an idiot. I'm Izzy, by the way." She winked and walked off.

Did she just say that Ally was an idiot? I'm sure that's not what she meant. "Austin," a voice snapped from beside me. I looked down to see Bella standing there, looking irritated. "What the hell was that?"

"I was talking to somebody?" I said, in more of a questioning voice.

Bella frowned at me. "You really shouldn't talk to her," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "That's Isabel Brink. Even though she may not seem like it, she's the meanest girl at this school, and will do anything to get to the top. Trust me, I know from experience."

I studied Bella's face for a few moments, before sighing. "Okay, I trust you," I said. Bella seemed like a trustworthy person, and is my first friend here besides Ally.

She nodded her head and waved goodbye, just as Ally exited the restroom. "What did I miss?" she asked with a smile, heading for the parking lot.

I slung my arm over her shoulders as we walked towards my truck. "Some girl talked to me, and then Bella warned me about her," I explained, shrugging my shoulders. We both hopped in the truck, and drove home. I dropped Ally off at her house first.

"Come over in like, two hours, okay?" she asked, grinning over at me. I nodded my head and she hopped out of the truck, running up to her front steps. I drove the few yards to my own house and after shutting the truck off that Ally left her bag in the floor. I'll just give it to her when I go over there.

I picked it up, and her leather songbook fell out. I glanced at it excitedly, since nobody ever gets to touch Ally's book. She has been writing in a journal since we were eleven years old, and every time I try to touch it, she shouts at me or snatches it away. The one time that I actually got to read something, it was a boring entry about an old lady at Sonic Boom.

I picked up the book excitedly. I know Ally won't want me to read this, and she will probably be crushed if she finds out, but I just want to see how much Ally really tells me. I mean, we are best friends, right? So I flipped her songbook open to an entry from today.

_Dear Songbook,_

_I'm a little lost about my feelings lately. There is this guy that I might like, and I probably shouldn't. He is so cute, with the floppy blonde hair, and dark brown eyes. He has really grown over the past few years, both physically and personally. To say that he is my best friend ever, would be completely accurate, since we have known each other since birth. I don't even know why I'm pretending, because if anybody ever reads this, they'll know at first glance that it's Austin. Anyway, he is so sweet, and caring. He is always there for me, and just so great. Recently, I have been thinking that I might like him. We have flirty moments, and get mistaken for a couple all the time. But he would never fall for a girl like me, right? He could get any girl he wants, and trust me, enough throw themselves at him. But I don't really understand my feelings. Sometimes, I think it's just that our friendship is so deep that it's just something that comes along with it. Other times, though, I think I might like him as more than a friend. I just wish I could get a grasp on how my heart is feeling. Oh, here comes Austin. (:_

_Love, Ally_

Ally might like me? I grinned and hopped out of the trunk, running into my house. "Woah, Speedy Gonzalez," my mother said, as I almost ran into her. "Where's the fire?" I just grinned stupidly, dancing around. "Okay, you're really happy. What is going on?"

"Nothing, Mom," I said, smiling and kissing her cheek before running upstairs to my room. I flopped down on my bed, because, even though I am happy, I am also confused. For starters, Ally says she might like me. That's not definite. Secondly, I wish I could just go right over there and ask her to be mine, so that we could live happily ever after, like in Lizzie's stories. But then, she would know that I read her book.

I called Dez, hoping for some advice from my best guy friend. Sure, he is crazy, but he is always there for me. "Hey, buddy," he said through the phone.

"Sup, Dez," I exclaimed. "So I think that Ally might like me, and I want to know how to show her that I like her back without coming right out and saying it. I kind of read her book, and don't want her to know that. But, it will be incredibly obvious if I just go ask her out. What should I do?"

"_Wait_, you like Ally?" Dez shouted. Oh, shit. I forgot that I haven't told anybody about that. "And how the hell did you get your hands on her book? I thought nobody touches that."

"She left it in my truck," I said, running my hands through my hair. "And yes, I like Ally. I have for a while, I just never told anybody. And now, I don't know what to do."

"I'm coming over sometime this week to punch you for not telling me," Dez said, chuckling. "But if you can't just come right out and say it, then just show her subtly. Like, build up to it, and then tell her how you feel. Get a little more flirty, and act a little more like her boyfriend, than her best friend. Then, when you tell her, she won't be suspicious that you read her book."

I thanked him and said goodbye. I am so grateful for a friend like Dez. Normally, I would go to Ally for any advice, but I obviously can't, since this is about her. Since summer just ended, and today was our first day back to school, I took a nap, forgetting how tiring school was.

I woke up about two hours later, and realized that I should be at Ally's house by now. I shoved her songbook back into her bag, then ran to her house, letting myself through the front door. "You're late," Mason called out from the couch. "Ally has been complaining for fifteen minutes."

"I know," I groaned. "Music room?" He nodded and I ran down the hall to the Dawson's music room, where Ally was sitting at the piano, singing quietly I recognized the tune from what she was playing during school today, so she must have written lyrics already.

_The day I first met you _  
_You told me you'd never fall in love _  
_But now that I get you _  
_I know fear is what it really was_

_Now here we are _  
_So close yet so far _  
_Haven't I passed the test _  
_When will you realize _  
_Baby, I'm not like the rest_

_Don't wanna break your heart _  
_Wanna give your heart a break _  
_I know you're scared it's wrong _  
_Like you might make a mistake _  
_There's just one life to live _  
_And there's no time to wait, to waste _  
_So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break _  
_Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break _  
_Oh yeah, yeah_

_On Sunday you went home alone _  
_There were tears in your eyes _  
_I called your cell phone, my love _  
_But you did not reply_

_The world is ours if we want it _  
_We can take it if you just take my hand _  
_There's no turning back now _  
_Baby, try to understand_

_Don't wanna break your heart _  
_Wanna give your heart a break _  
_I know you're scared it's wrong_  
_ Like you might make a mistake _  
_There's just one life to live _  
_And there's no time to wait, to waste _  
_So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break _  
_Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break_

_There's just so much you can take _  
_Give your heart a break _  
_Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break _  
_Oh yeah, yeah_

_When your lips are on my lips _  
_And our hearts beat as one _  
_But you slip out of my fingertips _  
_Every time you run, whoa-oh-whoa-oh-oh_

_Don't wanna break your heart _  
_Wanna give your heart a break _  
_I know you're scared it's wrong_

_Like you might make a mistake _  
_There's just one life to live _  
_And there's no time to wait, to waste _  
_So let me give your heart a break_  
_(Let me give your heart a break)_

_'Cause you've been hurt before _  
_I can see it in your eyes _  
_You try to smile it away, some things you can't disguise _  
_Don't wanna break your heart _  
_Maybe, I can ease the ache, the ache _  
_So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break _  
_Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break_

_There's just so much you can take _  
_Give your heart a break _  
_Let me give your heart a break (your heart), your heart a break (a break)_  
_Oh yeah, yeah_

_The day I first met you You told me you'd never fall in love_

When she finished playing, she turned around, not even phased by me standing in the doorway. I think she got used to me scaring her a few years ago. "Hey," I said, shooting her a small smile.

"You're late," she said, repeating what Mason had said. She shot me a look, which grew even icier at seeing her bag in my hands. "Why do you have that? I have been looking for it."

"Als," I said, setting the book on a chair and taking a seat next to her on the piano bench. "You left it in the truck." Her face softened a bit, and she apologized. "It's fine. And sorry I'm late, I fell asleep."

"It's alright," she said, elbowing me in the side. "I got used to that. You're rarely ever on time."

"Hey," I said, feeling a stab of guilt. "You know that I'm trying really hard to change that. I never mean to be late, I just lose track of time." I started getting a little worked up, pacing around the room and running my hands through my hair. "Even if it is only fifteen minutes late, I feel terrible, and I have been trying really hard to stop."

I feel Ally place her hands on my arm, trying to cool me down. "Austin, I'm sorry," she said, looking up at me seriously. "I shouldn't have said that. I know that you're trying to change, and you have gotten a lot better about it. I'm not mad, so please don't be mad at me."

I studied her face a few moments before wrapping my arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She hugged me back, and buried her head in my chest. I placed my head on top of hers, inhaling the strawberry scent in her hair. "I could never be mad at you, Ally," I said, pulling back to look at her. "You know that, right?" She nodded her head and smiled. "Good."

We have had plenty of small arguements just like this over the years, but they always end within minutes. Because truly, we could never be mad at each other.

"That was a good song," I said, nodding my head towards the keys. "You've always been amazing, but I never knew you could hit notes like that. Was that the song from earlier today?"

She nodded her head excitedly, rushing back to the piano. "I didn't know I could either," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I have been trying some new things. And yeah, it's the same song. I was thinking, we could write it into a duet. What do you think?"

"Totally," I said, taking a seat next to her and going through the song again. We switched it up to make it a duet, and I have to admit, it sounded pretty great. "We're going to rock the talent show," I told her as we did a handshake we made when we were seven.

"You bet we are," she said, her eyes dancing with excitement. "I'm so excited." I grinned, knowing that Ally's stage fright was slowly fading. If we could completely rid of it by the talent show, that would be great.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," I said, giving her a hug. Remembering what Dez said about being more flirtatious, I waved and winked. "Later, Als." I smiled and stepped out of the house, but not before catching the slight blush on her cheeks.

**(A/N - what did you think? And I am going to let you know now, just because they both like each other, that doesn't mean that Auslly is going to happen immediately. (: there's going to be a few obstacles, of course. But this is an Auslly story. Also, what are your opinions on Isabel and Bella? Who do you think that Austin and Ally should really trust? Let me know in a review! Speaking of which, thanks for all the awesome reviews!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N - here's chapter 5! Sorry for the _minor_ swearing, but this is rated T after all.)**

"Ready for day two?" I asked Ally, slinging my arm over her shoulders as we walked from my truck to the school building.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said, giggling. Then she looked over at me. "I really had fun working on that song yesterday. I'm so glad that we're here." I nodded my head in agreement as we stepped into the school and opened our lockers. We both placed our new textbooks in the lockers, and took what we needed for homeroom.

"Let's go find out what surprise awaits us in homeroom today," I said, making Ally laugh. Even though it has only been a day, I am sure that Mrs. Marly will be my favorite teacher - no matter how crazy she is.

We walked into the room and took our seats from yesterday, surprised to see that Mrs. Marly was sitting at her desk, doing paperwork. I raised my eyebrows at Ally as the first bell rang. Mrs. Marly actually seemed like a normal teacher today.

The class sat in anticipation, while Mrs. Marly just continued to do paperwork. Suddenly, the lights went off and a colorful, bright lights flashed around the room. Loud, techno music began playing, and Mrs. Marly stood up, dancing. Everyone was just watching her, so soon, I stood up and began doing some of my own moves. Bella came up, and copied my moves. The other student dancers in the room caught on, and soon we were all doing movements in sync, while the rest of the class watched in awe and amusement.

A few moments later, and we all took our seats. "You just got flash-mobbed," Mrs. Marly announced. "Thanks to all the wonderful dancers in this room. Like I said, always expect the unexpected." _Oh, the irony._

"Did you know that was going to happen?" Ally whispered from beside me. I shook my head. "Then how did you know to go up there and dance?"

"I didn't," I said, shrugging. "I guess I'm just catching on to the element of surprise." She smiled, and we turned our attention back to Mrs. Marly, who was calling students up to show off their talent.

Bella went up first, plugging her iPod into a speaker on Mrs. Marly's desk. An awesome hip-hop beat began booming through the speakers, and she started dancing. She was pretty good, and oozed confidence that you wouldn't think would come from her. By the end, everyone was clapping.

Next, Jake was called up. He walked to the front of the class, and said that he was going to do an acting monologue. "_But, Bailey,_" he said, quoting lines from a new movie. He looked right at Ally as he was speaking, which made me extremely angry. "_Why can't you see that I love you? That I want to be with you for the rest of my life? She means nothing to me. You're my whole world. You are why I wake up in the morning, and what gets me through the day._" I have to admit, this guy has some serious acting chops, but the amount of girls swooning in the room at the moment is rather annoying. I look over to see Ally watching him with a dreamy look.

I spaced out on the rest of the monologue, being pulled back out of my thoughts when the classroom applauded. As Jake walked back to his desk, he lingered near Ally for a moment, winking at her. Ally blushed and let out a small giggle, and soon the next student was up. I ignored the rest of the performances, hoping that my anger wasn't evident on the outside.

I was so angry that when the bell rang, I grabbed my stuff and bolted out of the room, just wanting to get away from that Jake guy. Who does this guy think he is, coming and just trying to swoop in on Ally? Yeah, I'm officially jealous. Just yesterday, I read Ally's journal, where she said she might like me. Now, it seems as though she may be quickly falling for a new guy. I need to communicate that I like her, without coming right out and saying it.

"Austin?" a voice asked. I looked up to see Izzy taking a seat on the steps next to me. "What's wrong with you? You either look really pissed, or really sad."

"Both, I guess," I grumbled. Then I remembered what Bella said yesterday. I stood up and started to walk away. "Uh, I have to go."

"Wait," she said, rushing after me. "Don't you want to talk about it or something?" I shook my head, but the look she gave me made me want to tell her.

"Okay," I said, sighing deeply. "I really like Ally, and I have reason to believe she might like me back. But out of nowhere, this guy, Jake swoops in, and practically has her hanging by a thread. I want to tell her how I feel, but I can't."

"Well, for starters," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're way cuter than Jake Rosen. Trust me, quite a few girls have noticed and begun swooning over you - myself included." She winked and I backed up a bit. "Plus, you're like, the total package. Ally is stupid, since she doesn't see that." With that, she leaned in and kissed me. I pushed her off of me, glaring. I looked up to see Ally watching us with a hurt expression. She ran off down the hall in a hurry, avoiding my eyes.

Now I was even more mad than before. "Ally _isn't_ stupid," I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "She's incredibly smart. And you don't understand our friendship, so please don't act like you do." I left in a huff, walking off towards our next class. The bell rang just as I took my seat, and I glanced over at Ally, who was staring hard at the board in the front of the room. "Hey," I said, smiling over at her.

She shot me a look that could cut through stone. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she whispered icily. I looked at her questioningly, but she just shook her head. "We're not talking about this right now."

Suddenly, our math teacher began the lesson and I was forced to turn my attention back to the board. When the hour was over, I turned to Ally, only to see that she was already out the classroom door. When I got to our next class, she was already sitting between two students, with no open seats around her. Every other class carried on like this, until the bell rang for lunch.

"Ally," I shouted, not caring whose attention I received. Right now, I have to talk to Ally. She shook her head and kept walking, resulting in me taking off in a full-on sprint. I caught hold of her arm and gently pulled her into the music room that we used during Independent Studies yesterday. "Ally."

She stared at the ground, avoiding my gaze. I watched her, waiting to catch her eyes, and make her look at me. "Allyson Marie Dawson," I said firmly, similar to the way her father says it when she is in trouble. Even though she was looking down, I saw her eye roll. "Please, Als," I said this time, softer, pleading. "Just look at me."

Her head snapped up, and I saw fire in her eyes, which took me back a bit. "What, Austin?" she asked, her voice loud. Ally doesn't yell often, so I know that she is extremely mad. "I'm looking at you. Now, what do you want?"

She turned so her back was to me."I want to know why you're so mad," I said calmly, in a whisper.

Ally whirled around, glaring at me once again. "You want to know why I'm mad?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm mad because you left me alone in homeroom, rushing out the door. I come after you to see what is going on, only to find you kissing some girl that you barely know. What is the matter with you?"

The hurt in her eyes was evident, but for what, I don't know. Was she hurt that I left her in class? Was she upset that a girl kissed me? "Ally, I left because that idiot Jake was pissing me off," I said, my voice raising. "And I didn't kiss Izzy. _She_ kissed _me_."

Ally's look of hurt only deepened, and her lip trembled a bit. "Austin, why are you yelling at me?" she asked quietly. "You never yell at me." It's true, I almost never raise my voice around Ally. I never have reason to.

I took a few deep breaths, and a step towards her. "I know," I said quietly, moving some stray hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, Ally. I shouldn't yell at you. And I understand why you're mad. I just wanted to get out of that classroom, and then Izzy kissed me, and-"

Ally put her hand up, stopping me. She hugged me quickly, then glanced towards the door. "I'm going to go get some lunch and talk to Bella," she said, her voice distant. She reached for the door, and I tried to protest, but she shook her head. "Austin, I'm not mad. I can't stay mad at you, remember? I just need to go take a breather."

I nodded and watched her walk out the door before flopping down on the piano bench, allowing my head to bang on random keys. It produced a terrible sound, and I sighed, playing the song that Ally and I are going to sing for the talent show.

I thought back to all the events that have happened in the past few hours. First, my confusion about Ally, and how jealous I got. Then, Isabel calling Ally an idiot, and kissing me, while Ally was watching. Ally ignored me for nearly four hours in all of our academic classes, and we both just had a shouting match. It's the longest that Ally and I have ever fought, and I can't help having a sinking feeling that our argument isn't completely over.

I hate this feeling, because I don't know how to deal with it. Ally and I rarely fight, and when we do, it's resolved in minutes. Now, what am I supposed to do? I decided to go get lunch, but the thought of food made me throw up, so I went to the nurse's office. "Hi, sweetie," the nurse said, looking at me. "You don't look too well. What's the matter?"

"I threw up a few minutes ago," I admitted. She told me to go lie on one of the beds at the other side of the room, and I followed her order. Soon, I felt myself drift in and out of consciousness, and was soon fast asleep.

The nurse, who I now know is Mrs. McGee, woke me up just before school ended. I thanked her and started looking around for Ally, to take her home. When I couldn't find her, I pulled out my phone, and noticed I had three missed calls and seven texts from Ally.

**_From: Als(:_**  
**_1:32 PM  
_**

_Austin, where did you go? Lunch is almost over, and we should work on the song again._

* * *

**_From: Als(:_**

**_1:45 PM_**

_Lunch is over, and I can't find you anywhere... Please don't be ignoring me._

* * *

**_From: Als(:_**  
**_2:01 PM_**

_Austin, I swear if you are ignoring me, you are so going to get it later. You know that I hate arguing with you, and this has gone on long enough._

* * *

**_From: Als(:_**  
**_2:17_**

_Would you just answer the damn phone already? Why are you being so difficult?_

* * *

**_From: Als(:_**  
**_2:32_**

_Independent Studies is halfway over, and we haven't worked at all. I have been spending the whole time looking for you. Please just come talk to me._

* * *

**_From: Als(:_**

**_2:59_**

_Okay, now you're just scaring me. I haven't heard from you in almost two hours. Please tell me you're okay. Austin, please come talk to me._

* * *

**_From: Als(:_**

**_3:12_**

_I found Bella, and she said she saw you head to the nurse's office earlier. Are you feeling okay? When I peeked in, you were asleep, and Mrs. McGee said you came in pretty sick. Sorry I was snapping at you earlier, I just thought you were ignoring me. Bella offered to drive me home today, so just call me if you need anything. Stop by later, if you want. (: Feel better!_

So many emotions went through me as I scrolled through the texts. First, I was mad for her being so snappy to me. Then, I felt guilty, for making her worry so much, and for leaving her to look for me. But, I was asleep, feeling sick, in the nurse's office - and honestly, it's because of her. Then the guilt changed into happiness, that she cared enough to come check on me. And last, I was a little bummed that she already went home with Bella.

I hopped in my truck, debating whether or not to go over to Ally's house tonight. It didn't seem like that great of an idea, and I'm a little tired, despite my nap in the nurse's office. The whirlwind of emotions has caused me to feel exhausted, and at this point, I just want to go home and sleep.

So, I decided against it, trodding up the stairs to my own room, and wondering where Ally and I stand after our arguement earlier today. It seems as though she isn't mad, but I'm not sure if I am or not. I don't want to be mad at Ally, but something inside of me is saying that I should be. Actually, I don't even know what it's saying. I just need some rest, and I'll deal with this tomorrow.

**(A/N - I don't know how I feel about this chapter... It's a bit shorter than the rest, and not much Auslly is involved. In fact, they argue quite a bit in this chapter - but it is also very important to the story, so it had to be put in. Leave a review, telling me how you feel about all the characters so far (Jake, Bella, Izzy)... And as I said, this is slowly building. But I really think it will be worth your time, if you're an Aussly shipper, so I hope you continue to read it. :D)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N - Sorry I didn't update yesterday! I had most of this written, but didn't get to finish because I was spending time with my dad. (: But here it is now, so enjoy!)**

When I woke up this morning, I had a few more missed text messages from Ally, all asking about how I was feeling. She's such a good friend, and I feel like such a lousy one. But I honestly don't understand what is going on right now. Ally might like me, but also might like another guy. Ally and I had our first big fight yesterday, which may not be completely resolved yet. And some girl that I barely know insulted Ally to my face, then kissed me. So, who can truly blame me for going to sleep and ignoring Ally's texts? Well, I guess Ally can, since the last text went like this.

**From: Als(:**  
**7:32 AM**

_Well... I guess we are still fighting? /: You haven't responded to any of my texts, so you must be mad at me. I really hope you're alright. We're talking about this at some point today, whether you want to or not. I hate fighting with you, and this is our longest one in sixteen years. Bella offered to drive me to school today, so I guess I'll see you there? (:_

I sighed, wishing I had just gone over to Ally's house at some point last night. If I hadn't just gone home and fell asleep, we could have talked about this, and it would have been resolved by now. In about twenty minutes, I would be knocking on her bedroom door, teasing her to hurry up, and a few minutes later, she would be in my truck, singing along with the radio.

But instead, I wimped out and went home, without even responding to a single one of her texts. I really do feel bad about that, and I can't wait to talk to her. It's not even like we are fighting anymore - we just aren't being _'Austin and Ally'_.

I got dressed quickly, hoping that I could talk to Ally before school, rather than waiting until lunch of Independent Studies. I don't think I can wait that long. I ran downstairs to the kitchen, where my mom handed me an apple. "Ally stopped by around eight last night," she said, looking over at me. "She seemed pretty worried. What happened?"

"We were having an argument," I said, sighing deeply. She even came by to talk to me, and I wasn't awake. My mom raised her eyebrows in shock, knowing that Ally and I don't argue. "I fell asleep as soon as I got home yesterday. I got sick at school and fell asleep in the nurse's office, too."

"Oh, honey," she said, putting her hand to my forehead. "Are you okay? Do you feel alright now?"

I nodded my head. "I'm fine," I said, shooting her a reassuring smile. "I think I was just a little worked up yesterday. I have to go. Have a good day." She waved as I headed out the door and hopped into my truck, praying that Ally would already be in the hallways of Miami Arts.

As I was walking down the hall, I spotted Ally with her head deep in her locker, looking for something. I grinned and sprinted up behind her, tapping her shoulder and spreading my arms wide for a hug. Ally turned around and grinned when she saw that it was me, immediately wrapping her arms around me. "Austin," she exclaimed, burrowing her head into my chest. "How are you feeling?" I told her that I was feeling a lot better, and then she smacked my arm. "That was for not responding to any of my texts."

"Ouch," I mumbled, rubbing my arm. "You have done that enough times that I am going to have a permanent bruise." She giggled and told me to man up. "Anyway, I fell asleep as soon as I got home yesterday, and didn't even wake up for dinner or anything. My mom told me you stopped by, sorry that I was asleep."

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked, concern evident on her face. "That's an awful lot of sleep, plus the two hours in the nurse's office. You might be getting sick or something."

"Als," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders and locking eyes with her. "I promise I'm fine." As to prove my point, I did a small dance routine, ending in a small flip. "See? Totally okay, I was just having a bad day yesterday. Thanks for caring so much."

"Yeah, about that," Ally said, looking towards the ground nervously. "Can we just forget that all of that happened? I don't like fighting with you, and it was stupid anyway. I shouldn't have freaked out so much for you rushing out of class, I just thought you were rushing to get to that girl-"

"Izzy," I finished, shuddering at the use of her name. That kiss yesterday is still bugging me. Thankfully, it wasn't my first kiss. My first kiss was actually Ally, and I was hers. We were thirteen, and were both nervous about getting our first kiss, because we didn't know if we would do it right. So we decided that we would be each other's first kiss, since we trust each other, and had the same lack of experience.

To be honest, I felt sparks flying when it happened, even if it only lasted a second. It was barely even a real kiss, since it was just a planned test, but I remember everything about it, and if I could live that day again, I would. Unfortunately, Ally and I never talked about it after that, because, as I said, it was barely able to be considered a real kiss.

"I don't even know what the hell that was about," I continued, rolling my eyes. "One minute, she was just being nice, and the next she called you stupid and kissed me. I pushed her away and told her to never talk about you like that again."

I felt myself growing angry again, not sure what I am going to say the next time I see Izzy. "Wait, she called me stupid?" Ally asked. I sensed no hurt in her voice, just pure annoyance. "Who does she even think she is? I mean, honestly, I have spoken like, ten words to her, if that."

"Als, calm down," I said, rubbing her back. That has always gotten her to calm down, whether she be angry, frantic, or upset. "She's not worth it. You are insanely smart, one of the smartest people I know, both in school and in life subjects as well. Don't let what one person said get you so worked up."

I watched her for a few more moments, making sure that she was simmering a bit. "Okay," she finally said, exhaling deeply and nodding her head. "You're right, she isn't worth it. Come on, we should probably get to class." She grabbed my hand and dragged me off to our homeroom. I could still sense a little tension in her grip, but it gradually loosened as we walked towards our classroom.

Our morning classes were a bit boring, other than in homeroom, when a few more people performed. "I love this school and all," I complained to Ally and Bella on our way to lunch. "But academics are still boring as ever."

"They always will be," Ally said, rolling her eyes and shoving me playfully. "It's just something you'll have to get used to." We all took a seat at one of the outdoor lunch tables. "Austin, what do you want to eat? I'm buying."

"I'll take a salad today," I said, shooting her a grateful smile. "Thanks." She nodded and skipped off to the food stand. I shook my head and smiled, turning back towards Bella, who was across the table from me.

"I'm surprised you're actually letting her pay for you," Bella mused, taking a bite of her homemade sandwich. "She told me that you pay for like, everything."

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Ally wasn't headed back yet, before speaking. "I may have slipped some money into her wallet this morning while she was in the bathroom," I said quietly, smirking. "Just don't tell her."

Bella laughed and pulled an imaginary zipper over her mouth, showing that she wouldn't say anything. "You're a really great friend to her, you know that?" Bella asked, smiling. I kept glancing over my shoulder. "Don't worry, I tell you when she is headed this way. Anyway, she was pretty upset yesterday and this morning when you guys were arguing, and I could tell you were too. You like her, right?"

"Yeah," I sighed, admitting it. I feel like I can trust Bella, and she seems to already know, so I might as well say it. "Okay, so we're best friends, and always have been, and I shouldn't like her. But I do, and I have for a while. I just don't know what to do and I think she might like me too, but I don't know how to tell her what I feel."

"Well, I think she may like you too," Bella said. "But she isn't going to wait around forever, so you need to do something eventually. You could start by asking her to the homecoming dance next week."

"That's a great idea," I exclaimed. "And even if she doesn't want to go as dates, we could still go as friends. We could all go as friends." Bella shot me a look, and I raised my hands in defense. "Okay, okay, I'll ask her."

"Good," she said, giving me a satisfied smirk. Yep, Bella was definitely just like Trish - meddling, even if it's in your better interest. "And she's headed back this way, so hush." She's a bit bossy like Trish, too - but she's nice.

"Here you go, Austin," Ally said, sliding my salad in front of me. She had a large burger in her hands, and I reached over and grabbed a small piece, earning me a smack on the arm. "Eat your own food," she teased.

"This is more fun," I said, shrugging my shoulders and reaching for a fry. She smacked my arm once again, and I rubbed it, mumbling. "You really need to stop doing that."

Everyone at the table laughed, and we began eating our food, talking about how weird Mrs. Marly was today. "I can't believe she let a squirrel run around the classroom," Bella shouted, taking off her large glasses to wipe the tears in her eyes. We were all laughing so hard, that it was attracting the attention of other tables.

"I know right," I exclaimed, clapping my hands together - something I do when I'm laughing. "And then when it landed on Jake and he ran out of the classroom squealing." This made me laugh even harder as I relived the jerk's girlish screams. Although my morning was boring, I wouldn't mind reliving that just to laugh my ass off some more.

"That was so funny," Ally said, covering her mouth with both of her hands. I could tell that she was getting self conscious about all the people watching us. "And then Mrs. Marly just carried on with the class."

The bell ended, signaling the end of lunch, and I realized this is probably the best day I have had so far at school. Ally and I ended our little argument, Jake embarrassed himself in front of Ally, and this is the funniest lunch period we have had so far.

"Let's go to the music room," Ally said, grabbing my hand. I looked over my shoulder to see Bella grinning with her eyebrows raised, flashing me a thumbs up just before Ally pulled me inside the school. "Okay, so I know the song is finished, but we should really practice it."

"Yeah, we have to do awesome in that talent show," I exclaimed as we walked into what we now assume is our private music room. We took a seat at the piano bench, and ran through the song, laughing half the time. Then I remembered that I want to ask Ally to go to the dance with me. "So, I'm pretty excited for the homecoming dance."

Ally stood up excitedly. "Me too," she said, dancing around the room. Well, dancing for Ally is really just flailing her arms and legs in ways that could hurt someone if they step too close. I am a pretty good dancer, and have tried on multiple occassions to help Ally learn, but we have just embraced it at this point. I stood beside her, dancing horribly, an old joke between us. "I heard that it's going to be a masquerade," Ally said, clapping her hands together.

"So everyone is going to show up in masks?" I asked. She nodded her head. "Then how is everyone going to know who their date is?"

"Nobody really goes to homecoming dances with dates," Ally said, shrugging. "Homecoming is more for friends and fun, while prom is for dates and romance."

"Oh, that's cool I guess," I mused, slightly disappointed that I wouldn't be able to ask Ally to the dance now. I'm not sure when I ever would have gotten the guts to ask her anyway, but it was also reassuring that nobody else could ask her now. "Plus it will be pretty cool not knowing who you're dancing with."

"Just like in _'A Cinderella Story'_," Ally said, smiling. The last bell of the day rang, and we headed out to my truck. "I have a shift at the store today, so can you drop me off there?"

"Sure thing, Als," I said, driving towards the local mall. I parked as close to the Sonic Boom as I could, before she hopped out.

"Do you want to come hang out for a while?" she asked, smiling at me hopefully.

"I would love to," I said, shooting her an apologetic smile. "But I can't. I have to go pick Lizzie up from kindergarten because my mom is in a meeting. But I'll see you tonight or tomorrow morning, okay?" She nodded her head before skipping off happily to her father's music store. I watched her until she made it to the door, before driving away to my little sister's school.

"Hi Lizzie," I said when I got there, lifting her up and putting her in the backseat safely. "Seatbelt on, okay?" She nodded her head and clicked the seatbelt before I got back into the driver's seat. "How was school?"

"Kidney-garden is so much fun, Aus," Lizzie squealed, clapping her hands. "I have so many friends, and they give us all juice and cookies." I smiled as Lizzie went on and on about how much she loves kindergarten, missing the good old days. I remember when Ally and I were in kindergarten. We always snuck extra juices while the teacher wasn't looking, and never actually napped during nap time. Life was so simple back then, and I continue to see more and more of my best friend reflected in my little sister.

When we got home, I made Lizzie a snack and ran up to my room. I logged onto my computer, checking Facebook, and noticed that I have an incoming Skype call. The user name is _Bella_Dances_16_. I clicked _'Accept',_ assuming that it was Bella. When her large glasses appeared on the screen, I realized I was right. "You didn't ask her, did you?" Bella asked, shaking her head disappointedly.

"Hey to you, too," I joked. Yep, just like Trish.

"Oh, hey," Bella said back, realizing that she never said that. "Now, did you ask her or not?" I shook my head. "Dude, if I could jump through the computer and smack your head, I would."

Even though I knew she couldn't do that, I protected my head anyway. "Well, apparently homecoming isn't for dates, it's just for going as friends," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"That doesn't mean you _can't_ have a date," Bella said, throwing her hands up in the air. "It just means that it isn't traditional. Then again, what is traditional about Miami Arts?"

"Not a lot," I agreed, rolling my eyes. "I swear it keeps getting weirder and weirder every day - but I am starting to like the element of surprise." Bella nodded her head, and we talked about how odd things are for a few more minutes.

Lizzie stepped into my room, covering in something sticky and having a guilty look on her face. "Austin, I spilled my snack," she said sadly. I beckoned her over and noticed that she was covered in juice.

"I'll come help you clean it up," I said, making her grin ear to ear. I heard Bella make an '_aw_' noise through the computer, and remembered that we were still on a video call. "Bella, this is my little sister, Lizzie. She's five. Lizzie, that's Bella."

"Hi there, Lizzie," Bella said, waving at her webcamera.

Lizzie waved back excitedly, sitting on my lap. "Hi, I'm Lizzie," she said, even though I just introduced her. "Austin is my big brother." Then she turned to me. "Austin, who is that girl? I thought you were going to marry Princess Ally." I heard Bella trying to stifle her laughter through the computer.

"Bella is my new friend from school," I said, trying to explain this to Lizzie. "She is friends with Princess Ally too."

"Wait, so you are still going to marry Princess Ally?" Lizzie asked excitedly. She looked back to Bella and whispered. "They're in love, they just don't know it yet."

"I know," Bella whispered back, waggling her eyebrows. "I'm trying to get them together too." My eyes widened, and I told Lizzie to go downstairs, and that I will be there in a minute. She skipped happily out of my room, and I turned back to Bella. "If a five year old can see it, it's meant to be."

"Whatever," I said, laughing. "Lizzie is just a child romantic. She's a lot like Ally was when we were younger."

"See?" Bella said, clapping her hands together. "You can't do anything without thinking about her. You're in love." _Love_? I have never thought about that. I mean, I love Ally, she is my best friend. And I know that I really _like_ Ally. I have just never thought that I was _in love_ with Ally. As I think about it now, however, I realize that it might be true. "Hey, Romeo," Bella said, cutting into my thoughts. "Before you start thinking too hard about this, go help Lizzie clean up. See you tomorrow." She waved and cut the call as I ran downstairs to help Lizzie clean up whatever mess there is now.

**(A/N - okay, so what did you think? Who else did that with the nap time thing? When I actually had nap time, I never napped, and now I would do anything to get it back! So I have an idea of how the next chapter is going to play out, but I would still love to hear what you guys have to say! Ten reviews, and something surprising will happen next! Well, I will still put it in even if I don't get ten reviews... But, I also really like reviews because it tells me what you guys think... So... click the button. :D )**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N - I wasn't planning on posting anything today, but I needed a serious distraction from virtual school. -_- Anyway, after this, I am going to be updating this every other day, as well as my other story, "A Summer to Remember" (check it out if you haven't!) every other day. Sometimes, I might post in both! Anyway, here is the chapter! I skipped from Wednesday to Monday, though, because nothing really interesting happened in between!)**

"Nice outfit, Als," I complimented as she walked out of her bedroom. Today is the first day of homecoming spirit week, and today we are supposed to dress up as a superhero. Ally is wearing a Wonder Woman costume, and I am dressed as Superman - tights and all.

Now I know what you're thinking - Austin Moon does _not_ do tights. Well, you're right - so why am I getting so into this? First off, dressing up is mandatory, even if only to a slight extent. The more important reason, however, is that the girl and boy with the most spirit throughout the week, get crowned homecoming King and Queen.

Over the weekend, Ally announced to me that she wanted to be the queen, which surprised me. It seemed so superficial and unlike Ally to want to win a meaningless crown. She explained to me, though, that her mother was homecoming Queen at her own highschool, and that she wanted to carry on the tradition.

With that news, of course, I now want to be the king. "I could say the same thing to you," Ally teased, glancing at me. "So, how tight are those tights?"

"_Really_ tight," I squeaked out, pulling on the tights a bit to make them more comfortable. "But it's all going to be worth it." She laughed and we headed out the door, ready for school. As expected, when we got there, students were running around - some in full costumes, some with just a towel-cape. Last Friday, you were supposed to submit your name if you wanted to compete for homecoming court. Ally and I both entered our names, and they said that they would narrow it down to five boys and girls, based on grades, talent, and other factors. We will find out in homeroom today who the ten students are, and then they will be judged throughout the week on who displays the most spirit.

"Come on," Ally said excitedly, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards Mrs. Marley's class. Even though there was still ten minutes before the first bell, she was really excited to find out who made the possible court.

When everyone settled into their desks, Mrs. Marley turned off the main lights, while a few strobe lights around the room flickered. Everyone got up, and we had a sixty-second rave, sitting down immediately afterwards and waiting for class to start. We have all gotten pretty used to the eccentricities that come along with our homeroom class.

"Okay, students," our principal said through the PA system. "I'm sure you are all super excited to see who we have picked as the potential homecoming Kings and Queens." An excited buzz electrified through the classroom. "We will start with the boys. Josh Blackthorn, Duncan Meyers, Austin Moon, Jacob Rosen, and Lewis Sims."

Ally reached over and grabbed my hand, giving me a squeeze that was partially congratulatory, and partially nervous. "Congratulations, Austin, Jake, and Duncan," Mrs. Marley said, nodding her head at us. The other two guys have a different homeroom teacher.

"And now, for the ladies," Principal Mellow announced, as Ally gripped my hand tighter. "Josie Stewart, Isabel Brink, Katie Clyde, Jenna Jones, and-" she paused for dramatic effect. Cue my hand breaking from Ally's grip. "Allyson Dawson."

I grinned over at Ally, giving her a high five and doing a less complicated version of our age-old handshake. "Congratulations, Ally and Josie," Mrs. Marley said, clapping her hands excitedly. "Wow, five of the ten court students are in my classes - that's a new record for me. Don't forget to stop by the judges table later today, so that they can score you on your outfits. By the way, Austin, how tight are those tights?"

Ally giggled beside me, and I winced trying not to think about it. "Tight," I admitted squeakily, earning a laugh from Mrs. Marley. The rest of the class period was spent talking about homecoming excitement.

When the period was over, we quickly caught on to a tradition at Miami Arts. During homecoming week only, all academic classes are switched to independent studies periods, in honor of all the events going on. What does that mean? Ally and I have like, six hours a day to prepare for the talent show - and although that is way more time than we need, who cares?

"Let's go by the judges first," I said to Ally, pulling her towards the guidance office. Outside the office there was a table, with three judges - the principal, vice principal, and a dean. "Hey there," I said, flashing them a grin and striking a superhero pose. "Austin Moon."

They all smiled, and held up score cards - I got a twenty-nine out of thirty points possible. "That puts you in the lead for the boys today," Principal Mellow said, smiling. "Keep it up, and you might just have a crown on your head. And since all but one girl has come by, you must be Ally Dawson."

Ally smiled and nodded her head, pulling a rope out of her backpack. "And this is my lasso," she said, tossing the loop over my head and pulling me closer. This got a huge ring of laughter from all the judges, as well as a few students passing by. I felt my cheeks grow red as Ally loosened the rope, putting it back into her bag.

"That was a nice touch," Principal Mellow exclaimed. "Thirty out of thirty, putting you far in the lead of the females. You two may just end up being the king and queen." She winked, and Ally and I walked towards our music room, bubbling with excitement.

"This is so awesome," Ally said, her grin practically illuminating the room. Honestly, if I shut the lights off, you could probably still see her smile. "It's only day one, but it already seems like I might get to follow in my mom's footsteps."

I put my arm around her shoulders. "She would be super proud of you, Als," I told her, nudging her head lightly with my own. I felt Ally tense up and then relax again. It has been four years since her mother died, and she is still a bit shook up about it. I squeezed her shoulder assuringly, and made her look me in the eyes. "Hey, you're going to be fine - I know that, because I'm here. Think of this as a way to help your mother continue living through you. You're just like her, you know."

She smiled. "I know," she said, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Dad showed me some pictures the other day from her sophomore year - besides the different clothing and hairstyles of the eighties, we look the same."

I grinned, knowing I had gotten Ally back to her perky self. "Now let's practice that song some more," I said, sitting on the piano bench. "We have alot of time to kill."

She nodded and we sat down, practicing on and off for the three hours until lunch. "Time for a break," Ally announced, jumping to her feet. We both met Bella at what has become our usual lunch table.

"Congrats you guys," Bella exclaimed, knuckle-bumping us both excitedly. "You're both in the running for homecoming court. And I heard from a little bird that you two are in the lead." We nodded our heads excitedly, and Bella got a mischievious look on her face. "You guys know that whoever gets crowned the king and queen almost _always_ go out, right?"

"Traditions can change," Ally said awkwardly, blushing. My own cheeks turned a dark shade of pink as well, and I began scratching my neck - a nervous habit of mine. "I'm going to go get some lunch. Do you want anything, Austin?"

"My mom packed me a lunch this morning, so I'm good," I said, smiling at her to break any awkwardness. She nodded her head and walked off towards the food carts, while I whipped my head around and glared at Bella. "_Not_ cool."

"Please, if she doesn't see it already, a few harmless comments from me aren't going to change anything," Bella said, chuckling. "You two are so oblivious to each other's feelings, it's almost painful to watch."

"Then, don't watch," I said, sticking my tongue out and laughing. Ever since the video chat last Wednesday, Bella has been dropping some comments about Ally and I, and the possibility of romance between us.

Ally came back a few moments later, all awkwardness subdued. In fact, Ally even seemed overjoyed, but I'm not sure why - she is probably still excited about the homecoming court thing. I am too, I just hope that it ends up being Ally and I. It would be horrible if I won with somebody like Isabel, or even worse if Ally and Jake win.

After another fun lunch, Ally and I ran back to our music room, testing the song a few more times. "I think we should just start writing some more songs this week," Ally said as the final bell of the day rang. "We have the song perfect, and we have like, six hours in here everyday for the next week."

"Sounds good," I said as we walked out towards the parking lot. We drove home, and instead of dropping Ally off, I followed her into her house. "Sup, Mason?"

Mason looked over at us from his spot on the couch and snickered. "Nice tights," he said, deserving the pillow that I threw at his head shortly afterwards. We walked up towards Ally's room, and I detached my cape, stuffing it in my backpack. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants that I keep in Ally's closet, and go to pull off my tights.

"Uh, Austin," Ally said, waving her hand at me. This place is so much like my home, I almost forgot I was in her room, not my own. "Go into the bathroom, that way I can change too."

"I've seen it all before," I reminded her, teasing. I walked off towards the bathroom anyway though, shutting it behind me.

"We were seven," Ally called back, as she often did. "It's not my fault that Mason spilled spaghetti all over me." I shook my head, smiling and changing out of my stupid superhero costume. As soon as I had the tights off, I took in a much needed breath, slipping into my sweatpants. "You can come out whenever you're ready."

I gathered all my stuff and walked back into Ally's room, where she was sprawled out on her bed in casual clothes, texting. "Who are you talking to?" I asked, noticing the broad grin on her face. "You have seemed super excited since lunch."

"Trish," Ally said, the smile not leaving her face. "I was telling her about Jake, and how he asked me to save a dance for him." I felt my face, stomach, and heart drop all at that moment. "Austin?"

"I thought you don't take dates to homecoming," I said, finally finding my voice.

"You don't," Ally shrugged. "We aren't _going_ together - I'm going with you and Bella. He just told me to make sure to save him a dance, not that I know how he is going to find me, with everyone wearing masks."

"Wait, so you promised him a dance?" I asked, standing up and throwing my hands into the air. I am probably reacting to this way worse than I should, but it totally stung. "How many guys are you going to dance with? Are you going to save _me_ a dance?"

"Woah, woah, woah," Ally said, standing up, her volume increasing. "What the hell are you talking about? It's just one dance with one guy - I thought you would be happy for me. Why are you freaking out about this?"

"I just want to protect you," I shouted, bending the truth. I mean, it is true that I want to protect Ally, but jealously is fueling these flames quite a bit as well. "How am I supposed to be happy for you when you are going to dance with the biggest jerk at Miami Arts?"

"You don't even know him," Ally exclaimed. "How many words have you spoken to him? Ten? Twenty? Not enough to judge his character, like you're doing right now. I thought you were better than that, Austin. And you're my best friend - you're always supposed to be happy for me. We're always supposed to be happy for each other."

"Unless they're making a wrong decision," I said, standing firmly in place. This was already too heated to be turned around. "Besides, you didn't seem too happy for me when Izzy was kissing me in the hallway the other day."

"That's different," Ally shouted, taking a step towards me. "You just met her, and she was already sucking your face. At least I have been talking to Jake over the past week - and I'm not _kissing_ him, I'm just saving him one freaking _dance_."

"It's not different," I said, running my hands through my hair furiously. "It's exactly the same."

"How is that the same?" Ally asked, throwing her hands into the air.

I shook my head. "It just is," I said stubbornly.

Ally shot me a look. "Okay, I don't know what has gotten into you lately, but I don't like it," she said, her volume going down a few notches - which made me nervous. "I think you should go home now."

"I think you're right," I snapped, grabbing my stuff and heading out of her bedroom. I shut the door behind me and stomped down the stairs, shaking my head and breathing heavily.

"What the hell was all of that about?" Mason asked from his spot on the couch next to a concerned-looking Lester.

"I don't want to talk about it, yet," I said, sighing sadly. "Have a nice evening." They both looked like they wanted to ask more, but I stepped out of the house and walked the few doors down to my own.

Well, I was right - Ally and I are still fighting, except now, it's even worse. I let my jealousy get in the way, but then again, didn't she? I know that she was jealous when she saw Izzy kissing me, whether she will ever admit it or not. I blew up, but so did she. We were both in the wrong here. And being best friends, we should get over this easily - except we're also similarly strong headed and stubborn. All I want is my best friend - possibly the girl I am in love with - back.

**(A/N - AHH! sorry that this chapter was a bit intense and argumentative! But it goes with the story, I promise! :D Leave me a review, whether you liked or hated the story, or if you are hanging upside down from the monkey bars. And, if you haven't already, I would love if you checked out my other story, "A Summer to Remember"! Thanks, guys!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N - okay, so you guys are probably going to hate me... they're still arguing. But read anyway! :D it will be worth it!)**

I woke up the next morning, dreading the day. I hate that Ally and I are arguing - this isn't us. As Austin and Ally, we are best friends, who never fight, and know every single thing about each other - well, _almost_ everything. Ally still doesn't know how I feel about her.

I got dressed in my costume and ate breakfast, before hopping into my truck. I don't even know if I should pick up Ally - what if she is too mad at me? One glance over at the Dawson's driveway gave me my answer. Mason was climbing into his car, Ally in the passenger seat.

I shook my head and followed them the entire way to Miami Arts. I know that Ally saw me, and she didn't look up the entire ride. While I was parking, she hopped out of Mason's car and sprinted into the school, not looking back once. Mason pulled up beside me and gave me a questioning look. "What happened?" he asked, sighing. "She won't tell us anything."

I ran my hands through my hair. "She's really mad at me," I said grumpily. "We had a really big argument yesterday, and we both said things that we shouldn't have. Now, I just don't know what to do."

"That's what all that yelling was about?" Mason asked, eyes wide. I nodded my head sadly. "Well that explains why she is so upset. She wouldn't even come down for dinner last night."

"So not helping right now," I snapped.

He put his hands up. "I know, I know," he said, sighing. "I just hate seeing Ally like that. But I hate seeing you guys fighting even more. Just give her a little space so she can cool off, and then talk to her about it. You guys will work it out - sixteen years of friendship isn't going to drain just because of one argument."

"Thanks, man," I said, waving and running into the school before I was late to class. It was times like this that I was grateful for Mason - he was good with advice. I bolted into Mrs. Marley's room just as the bell rang, taking the last available seat, in the back of the classroom. I looked around and saw that Jake Rosen was in my normal seat, sitting next to Ally.

"Thanks for joining us, Moon," Mrs. Marley said, grinning. "Now, I want you all to come up here and take a piece of paper from this hat. On the papers are animals, and there are two of every kind. Find the other person with your same animal, and then you two must try to communicate the rest of the day, only using the sounds that animal makes."

Everyone went up and pulled a slip of paper, and starting making that animal's noise in an attempt to find their partner. I reached my hand into the hat and pulled out a slip of paper. _Cat_.

I glanced around the classroom, only to see one person meowing at her desk. _Ally_. I walked over to her and stood in front of her desk, peering down at her. "Meow?" I said weakly, smiling. What I really meant was _'Hi, I'm so sorry that we are fighting, can we please just make up and quit? Oh, and by the way, I really like you.'_

No matter how synced Ally and I are, though, even she couldn't understand that from one cat noise. "Meow," she spat, staring down at her desk. I reached forward to tilt her chin up, to try to convey with my eyes how sorry I am. But she hissed at me, shaking her head.

Okay, this was going to be a lot harder than I thought. "Meow," I said half-heartedly. We sat there awkwardly, not speaking at all until the end of the period.

"That was a lot harder than any of you thought it would be, right?" Mrs. Marley asked as we stepped out of the classroom. As I watched Ally sprint off down the hall, I realized that she didn't even know the beginning of it.

All of our morning classes went similarly. I walked by the judges table, decked out in my 70s day outfit. I was dressed as a hippie, and even did some disco moves. "The dance was a nice touch," Principal Mellow said, nodding. "Twenty-eight out of thirty, which is keeping you in the lead."

I nodded and walked off towards lunch, wondering who was in the lead for the girls - probably Ally, since she was dressed in a go-go girl outfit this morning. I sat at my usual table, and Bella sat down shortly after. "Where's Ally?" she asked, looking around. "Oh, I see her."

I followed her gaze to see Ally sitting down next to Jake at his table, giggling about something he said. "Did she tell you anything about what happened yesterday?" I asked.

"Briefly," Bella said, glancing up at me. She could see that I was being serious, so she motioned for me to follow her. We took a seat on the floor in an empty hallway. "Ally mentioned that you had a fight, but she didn't say why or how bad it is. Now, spill."

"Well, she told me that she was saving a dance for Jake at homecoming," I explained. "And I'll admit that I freaked out way more than I should have. I told her I was just trying to protect her, and she began to yell at me, saying I don't know him well enough to judge him. I'll admit, that's true also. Then she told me that we were always supposed to be happy for each other, which I also agree on."

"Okay," Bella said impatiently, gesturing for me to continue.

"Well, I brought up the whole Izzy thing," I continued. "I told her that she wasn't acting happy for me when that happened. She said it was because I didn't even know the girl, but she barely knows Jake, so I don't see that big of a difference. We both said a bunch of things that we shouldn't have, and now I just want to forget about it."

"So basically, what you're saying," Bella summarized, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Is that you screwed up big time, and now you want to talk to her, but she won't let you." I nodded my head. "And I bet you haven't even told her how you feel. Austin, you really need to grow a pair."

I could tell that she tacked on the teasing at the end to make me feel better. "It isn't that easy," I groaned, shaking my head. "How do you tell someone you have been best friends with for sixteen years that you like them?"

"Well," Bella said mischieviously, raising her eyebrows. "I have a plan, but I want to see if you guys can work it out first. If you guys are still fighting by lunch tomorrow, I'll help you out."

"Can you at least tell me what the plan is?" I asked. She shook her head and I frowned. "Well, thank you. Now I need to go meet Ally for independent studies, and see if we can talk this out now."

She waved goodbye and headed off to her own independent studies, a dance class. I walked into the small music room that Ally and I have been using, to see her sitting at the piano. She tried to run for the door, but I stood in her way. "Hold it," I said, crossing my arms and looking down at her. "Don't run."

"Meow," she spat angrily, shaking her head and walking back to the piano.

"Ally," I said carefully. "We need to talk about this - and I mean using real words. You and I are going to get over this. Want to know how I know?" She shot me an expectant look, waiting for my answer. I nudged her with my elbow. "Because, we're Austin and Ally."

"Yeah," Ally said, as if talking to a small child. "My name is Ally. Your name is Austin." She nodded her head for good measure, as if I was just learning our names. "I don't get where you're going with this."

"That means that we are best friends," I said. "That means that we don't fight. That we don't yell at each other. That we don't ignore each other. We need to work this out soon, because even though it's only been a few hours of fighting, I miss you, Als."

"I miss you too," she said, filling me with hope. "But I'm still really upset, confused, and hurt. I need some time to think about everything that is happening. You know you're my best friend in the whole world, and that isn't changing. But I need some space."

"How much time do you need?" I asked, looking at her with concern. "I have things that I need to tell you. And then, the talent show is in two days, and-"

"-And I think we shouldn't do that," Ally said, cutting me off. I look at her, knowing confusion was evident on my face. She took a deep breath and shot me an apologetic look. "I think we should just do our own acts. I already asked Principal Mellow. You will do a solo act, and I will do a solo act."

"Ally, how does that even make sense?" I asked, rubbing my temples. "We have been working on this duet for a week and a half now."

"Austin, I'm sorry," she exclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I just really think this is for the best. I'll use one of my old songs, and you could do a cover of something." Then she looked at me, her facial expression softening. "Like I said, you're still my best friend, and this doesn't change that. I don't want to fight with you anymore, and I don't want to ignore you. But I just need to collect my thoughts. I have some unsorted feelings for a few people, and before I talk about it with you, I want to know exactly what I'm thinking."

"Okay," I said, giving her a small hug. "Take as much time as you need." With that, I left the music room, letting the door slam shut behind me. I'll give her all the time and space she needs, if it means making up later. I couldn't help thinking about who or what she needed to sort feelings about. Was it me? Was it Jake? I shook my head and left school early, too exhausted to deal with anything else for the day. Before I left, though, I went to Principal Mellow's office. "I'd like to completely remove myself from the talent show," I said, walking away.

**(A/N - okay, so they aren't exactly fighting any more, but... yeah. I swear, there WILL be Auslly... just not yet! Don't kill me. D: So, what do you guys think Bella's plan will be? What feelings do you think Ally is trying to work out? And why do you think Austin completely dropped out of the talents show? Mysteries are swirling around, and I'd love to know your guess, so let me know in a review! Until next time... unless this story gets deleted because of the rating...)**

*** I apologize that some of you seem to be losing interest in this story because Austin and Ally are not yet together and keep arguing. However, this is part of the plot, and it is an _AUSLLY_ story, so it will be there soon. Whether you chose to continue reading this or not due to lack of interest, I still appreciate you as readers, because you even read this in the first place. And if you _aren't_ losing interest, because you understand it is part of the plot, thanks. (: **


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N - if you're reading this, then I guess it means my story didn't get deleted? Awesome! :D Anyway, this chapter is a bit long, but I hope you like it. Not too much Auslly, but I promise if you stick with it, you're going to _LOVE_ the chapter after this. A lot is explained in this chapter, so read!)**

Today is Nerd Day at Miami Arts. When I woke up, I grabbed a pair of khaki pants and pulled them on, attaching suspenders which I let hang, rather than using them for their actual purpose. I pulled on a plaid shirt, leaving it unbuttoned a little bit to reveal part of a t-shirt. I messed up my hair, before sliding on the final touch, a pair of thick-framed glasses, which were originally used to view 3-D movies, before I popped the lenses out.

I checked my reflection in the mirror and nodded happily - I looked like a dork, but I also looked cool. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and grabbed a textbook to carry around all day, enhancing the nerdy look. After a quick breakfast, I ran downstairs to see Ally walking over to my driveway. Yesterday, she told me that I was still her best friend, but that she needed some time to think about a lot of things. Basically, that means that we are cool again, but that I can't bring up anything that she needs time to think about - for example - Jake, me, Izzy, and the dance.

She doesn't understand how hard this is for me though - to not tell her how I feel. I'm ready to tell her, but I also want to respect her wishes, and not bring anything up until she is ready. I shrugged it off and hopped into my truck, leaning over and opening Ally's door for her. "Good morning," she chirped happily, taking her seat next to me. "Aw, your clothes finally reflect your dorky personality," she teased.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Yeah, because _I'm_ the dork," I teased, shaking my head. She was in her own nerd get-up, complete with a plaid skirt and sweater. She had suspenders pulled up over her shoulders, and knee-length socks sticking out of her boots. Her hair was in two high pigtails, and she was wearing her glasses that she used until we turned fourteen. "Those glasses bring back memories, you know."

"Okay, we're _both_ dorks," she said, giggling. "And I know, please don't remind me of the time that I-" She trailed off, shuddering at the memory. I shot her a pointed glance, since she was the one that reminded herself. "I'm glad I got contacts."

I grinned as we pulled into the Miami Arts parking lot, shaking my head at her adorable antics. We made our way to our lockers, and stopped by the judging table early, since we have time before homeroom. "Well don't you two look cute," Principal Mellow commented, nodding her head in approval. "Moon, twenty-nine out of thirty. You are in the lead, but Jake Rosen is trailing only five points behind. Dawson, twenty-nine out of thirty, and you are far ahead of any other girl." She grinned and waved us both away.

"I can't believe we're both still in the lead," Ally commented as we headed towards Mrs. Marley's homeroom. I agreed, thrilled that Ally and I could become king and queen. But I also made a mental note to go all out the next two days, to make sure I beat Jake.

I took my usual seat near the front of the classroom, and Ally took a seat next to me, smiling. Yep, we're not quite us again, but we're getting there. Jake sauntered in and took the seat on the other side of Ally, smirking at me. But, I just shrugged it off, not going to let him - or jealousy - get to me. Bella took the seat on my other side, and gave Ally and I a questioning smile. "I'll tell you later," I whispered, while she nodded her head.

When Mrs. Marley walked in, she grinned at us all. "Well, you're all looking quite nerdy today," she said approvingly. "In honor of homecoming week, I thought I would do this." She pulled a small rope hanging from the ceiling above her desk, and balloons in our school colors - red and yellow, began falling from a net.

We all laughed and started smacking the balloons around, trying to keep them off the floor as long as we could, by passing them to each other. The rest of the class, we spent just doing fun games. "Instead of independent studies before lunch today," Mrs. Marley announced. "There will be fun games going on around the school. Three-legged races, karaoke, water balloon toss, you name it. Go enjoy yourselves."

We all raced out of the classroom, and I have to admit, although old school, the games were pretty fun. When the bell for lunch rang, Ally and I went to our usual table. Just as we were sitting down with Bella, Jake walked over. "Hey, Ally," he greeted her, smiling. "I was just wondering if you want to come eat with us again."

"I-" Ally began to protest, but I shook my head, telling her she could go. She looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded. "I would love to, thanks. See you guys later." She waved to Bella and I before walking over to Jake's table slowly, as if unsure.

"Why did you do that?" Bella hissed, shaking her head at me. "You're an idiot."

I laughed. "It's cool," I said, shrugging. "Besides, I need to explain what happened, and I can't do that if Ally is sitting right there, now can I?" Although she looked like she wanted to smack me in the head, Bella agreed. We both stood up and walked to the hallway that we ate lunch in yesterday, taking seats against a row of lockers.

I started to fill Bella in, but a shrill voice stopped me. "Hey, Austin," Izzy called out, waving flirtatiously as she walked by. "Haven't seen you in a few days. Don't forget to save me a dance Friday night, okay? I'll be the one in the hot pink dress."

"'Kay," I said half-heartedly. I wasn't just going to tell her there was no way in hell I am dancing with her, because I'm not a mean guy. But I will be doing my best to avoid hot pink dresses at the dance, you can be sure of that.

After she was out of ear-shot, Bella turned to me. "Okay, now tell me everything," she demanded impatiently. "Or I will knock the blonde right out of your hair."

I cringed, knowing she probably would do that, if given the chance. "Okay, well I talked to Ally after school in the music room," I explained. "And I told her that I missed her, and that we really needed to get over this. She agreed and told me that she missed me. She said that I was still her best friend, no matter what, but that she couldn't talk to me about a few things, until she had the time to think about them. I drove her to school this morning, and we are fine again, we're just - not."

"You're just not what you want to be," Bella provided helpfully. "You want to be so close that she can tell you anything, even when she is in the process of thinking about it." I nodded my head. "Well, Austin, you guys _are_ that close. Did you ever think about _why_ Ally can't talk to you about it this time?"

"Because it has something to do with me," I said, knowing that was true. The only reason Ally has never told me something is if it's about me, and even then, she doesn't usually hold back.

"Exactly," Bella exclaimed, looking me in the eye seriously. "She likes you Austin, just as much as you like her. But she doesn't think you like her back - she doesn't think that she and her best friend of sixteen years would work out, because you're best friends. She's scared, and she's distracting herself from you by liking Jake."

"You really think so?" I asked hopefully.

"I _know_ so," Bella said, smacking the back of my head lightly. "She told me. I just wasn't going to tell you until you figured out most of it on your own. Now, I have a plan, but you have to do everything I say." I nodded my head, despite the fear coursing through me at the moment. "Okay, so during the talent show, when you guys are singing your song, you're going to-"

"Wait," I exclaimed. "I left out a teensy-weensy detail." She looked at me expectantly. "Okay, so Ally pulled our duet out of the talent show, signing us both up as solo acts. And then I kind of removed myself from the show yesterday afternoon."

Bella looked ticked, so I quickly slid down the hall a few lockers, enough distance away that if she reached out, she couldn't hit me. "That was a wise choice," she said, laughing at my actions. "But why the hell did you drop out of the talent show?"

"Because I think that it's awesome that Ally is feeling comfortable enough to do a solo act," I said, smiling at the thought. "I have been trying to get her to perform again for years. This is going to be her night, now, and I want to dedicate it to supporting her, rather than worrying about my own performance."

Bella sighed. "You know," she said, shaking her head. "You are extremely hard to stay mad at. First, you go ruining all my plans, and then you act all adorable. I can see why you and Ally never fight long." I let out a chuckle, and Bella snapped her fingers. "Okay, I have a new plan. You're going to support her at the talent show, just being a good friend. And then, during the dance Friday night, before you guys get crowned, you need to find her at some point during the dance. Act super sweet and romantic, but also a bit mysterious, so she won't know it's you. She won't be able to see your face past the mask, and when things get really romantic, try to kiss her. If she kisses back, pull off the mask, show her who you are, and tell her your feelings. If she pulls away, then make an escape, and she won't know it's you."

"That could actually work," I said, taking in the idea. "Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. Thanks, Bella, you're awesome."

"I know, I know," she joked. "I'm a bit of an evil genius." I laughed my agreement as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The rest of the day was spent playing more fun games, and by the end of the day, I was exhausted again.

"Today was so much fun," Ally gushed as we walked out to my truck. "I wish school was like this all the time."

"But then it wouldn't be school," I pointed out. "Even though it is super fun, these days have been so exhausting. I feel like I'm going to hibernate every time I go home."

"You're tired?" Ally asked, and I nodded. She grabbed the keys out of my hand and rushed to my truck excitedly. "That means I get to drive the truck today." She hopped into the driver's seat, starting it with ease.

"Okay, but just be careful," I said, climbing into the passenger side. Ally just recently got her license, but she doesn't have a car yet. So, I let her drive the truck occassionally. It's actually really funny to see such a small girl driving such a big vehicle.

I stayed silent most of the ride home, letting Ally concentrate on her driving, and allowing me to get some rest in, while still watching the road. When she pulled into my driveway and turned off the car, she grinned. "How was that?" she asked.

"You keep getting better all the time," I told her truthfully, doing our handshake. "Keep it up, and your dad will buy you a car soon."

"I hope you're right," Ally said excitedly.

"So, do you want to hang out or anything tonight?" I asked her, glad to have my friend back, especially knowing now that she likes me, and that I have a good plan. "Or you can come over for dinner."

"I actually have a shift tonight," she said, grabbing her bag and hopping out of the truck. "Dad needed someone to take care of the store, and Mason has some college class to go to tonight. Raincheck?"

"Always," I laughed, waving to her as she skipped down to her own house. "See you in the morning."

* * *

"Austin, what do you mean you're not doing the talent show?" Ally asked, eyes wide. I sighed, running my hands through my hair. Right now, we are sitting in the music room, and Ally just played her new song for me, that she was going to sing tonight. She asked me what song I was doing, and I broke the news that I dropped out of the talent show.

The morning had started off normally, with both Ally and I dressed up for country western day. I was dressed as a cowboy, Ally as a cowgirl, and we did a joking square dance at the judge's table. Both of us got a thirty out of thirty, keeping us in the lead. Homeroom was fun as usual, and we were given the rest of the day to practice for the talent show, if we were participating. Ally and I went to the music room, to show each other our acts, and well - here we are.

"I dropped out, Als," I explained. "I just didn't want to do it."

"Austin, you would never just give up a performance," Ally said, sitting down to hear me out. "Is this because I pulled our duet out? Austin, I'm sorry, but you still shouldn't have done that."

"Well, sort of," I sighed. "When you told me that you were going to do a solo act, I got super excited." She smiled slightly. "I realized how much this school has brought you out of your shell in just a week, and I was so proud of you. I wanted to let you have the stage tonight."

I grinned, hoping she thought it was sweet. Instead, the smile disappeared, and was replaced by a frown. "You dropped out so I would have a chance of winning?" Ally asked, hurt evident in her voice. "Is it because you didn't think I could do this if I was up against you?" I tried to protest, but Ally shook her head. "So, you're just not going to show up tonight, huh? What ever happened to, _'I could never be mad at you, Ally_', and _'I'll always be there when you perform, Als'_? I thought that I need you there with me for me to perform, Austin, but I was wrong. Tonight, don't even bother. I don't need you, and I could win whether you were performing or not."

I tried again to explain that none of that was true, but she shook her head, close to tears, and walked out of the room. She thinks that I dropped the show to give her a chance, but it was really to focus on supporting her. She thinks that I did this because I was mad, but really, it was because I'm proud. She thinks that I won't be there tonight, going against my promise to be there every time she performs. But she's wrong again, because I _will_ be there tonight.

* * *

I walked into the auditorium of Miami Arts, holding Lizzie's hand. She begged to come with me to see Ally perform tonight, and I just couldn't say no. "Where is Princess Ally?" Lizzie asked as I took a seat, next to Mr. Dawson and Mason.

"She's behind the stage," I explained, pointing at the red curtain. "You'll see her when she performs." I turned to Mason who looked at me with confusion.

"Okay, so first you guys were down each other's throats, for the first time ever," Mason whispered. "And then you guys make up, and every thing is okay. Then, Ally comes home crying, saying you keep breaking promises, and making decisions harder for her. What decisions? You do know, that technically means I'm supposed to punch you in the face for hurting my sister, right?"

I chuckled at his attempt to play protective older brother, but then got serious. "I wasn't trying to hurt her," I explained, shaking my head as a few acts went on stage. "And I haven't broken any promises. She thinks that I am mad at her, but I'm not. She thought I was going to be here tonight, but here I am. I don't break promises, especially when it comes to Ally."

"You guys love each other so much," Mason mumbled, shaking his head with a smile. And at that moment, I realized he was right. I am truly in love with Ally. The thought distracted me through all the performances, except for when Bella went up and did a hip-hop dance. Ally was the last act of the night.

"It's finally her turn," Mr. Dawson whispered to us all, shaking happily in his seat. I think that him seeing Ally overcome her stage fright is a big deal to him. I know that it's a big deal to me.

Ally took the stage, walking nervously. She was wearing a yellow dress, with a brown vest and boots. She looked beautiful, but I could tell instantly how nervous she was. Her knees were a bit wobbly, and her eyes were frantic. She walked over to the microphone and introduced herself, her voice shaking. "Hi, I'm Ally Dawson," she said, smiling nervously. "I'm going to sing a song that I wrote." She picked up her acoustic guitar and tried to start strumming, but her hands were shaking too much. She looked like she wanted to crawl under something and hide, or shove a chunk of hair into her mouth to chew on.

Just when she was about to run off the stage in fear, I knew what I had to do. I stood up, waiting for her to lock eyes with me. When she did, she gasped a bit, obviously not expecting me to be here tonight. "Ally," I chanted slowly and loudly, clapping my hands. "Al-ly! Al-ly!"

Mason and Mr. Dawson caught on, joining me in the chant. A few students from our classes joined, and soon the entire auditorium was cheering her name. Ally grinned, filling with confidence. "You can do this," I mouthed to her, giving her a thumbs-up. She grinned and began playing and singing, while everyone settled down to listen.

By the end of the song, people were swaying to the music. She did great, and didn't sound nervous at all. As she played the last chord and held the last note, the room burst into loud cheers, both for her overcoming the rocky start, as well as it just being an awesome performance.

She exited the stage, but I caught the smile she sent me before she did. About ten minutes later, the winner was announced, and it was Ally, of course. She did amazing, and totally deserved it. Everyone cheered, even the other contestants, because that's how great she did. Everyone started shuffling out of the auditorium, but Mason, Lester, Lizzie and I walked up to the stage, where people were congratulating Ally.

"Baby girl, you did great," Lester exclaimed, wrapping Ally into a hug.

"Good job, little sis," Mason said, ruffling her hair.

Lizzie latched onto her leg. "You are so amazing, Princess Ally," she said, giggling. "You're so pretty and talented." Ally smiled and hugged them all before turning to me.

"You came," she whispered, watching my face carefully.

I nodded, smiling. "I promised you that I would never miss a performance of yours," I said. "And I don't break my promises."

Ally lunged forward and wrapped me into a hug. "I know you don't," she said, shedding a few tears. "Austin, I'm so sorry, I just-" She sniffled, shaking her head.

"Ally, calm down," I whispered, placing my hands on her shoulders. "Don't cry, because this is your night to shine. You won the talent show, and you got over your stage fright. We'll talk about this soon, but for tonight, just enjoy yourself. I think we both have a lot to tell each other, but let's wait until after tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded her head, smiling, before thanking a ton of other people who congratulated her. Lester and Mason flashed me grins and waved as I exited the auditorium, Lizzie in tow. It was comforting to know that I played a part in Ally's success tonight. She could totally do this without me, she just doesn't know it yet. Either way, I'll always be there for her.

**(A/N - okay, so this was a pretty long chapter! they keep going in circles, but the next chapter will hold what you've all been waiting for. Why? because the next chapter is the dance! ) GET EXCITED!)**

***Also, thank you to the people who reassured me the other day that this plot isn't boring just because it doesn't jump into Auslly right away. I mean, it didn't really matter much to me what one or two people said, but I just wanted to make sure that not everybody was losing interest. (: Special shout out to **_Zoezora_**, who quoted, "The fun is in the chase, not the capture". I totally agree, and find that complications are necessary in a good story. If everyone was getting bored with the story, why would I keep writing? So thank you guys all so much for your reassurance! :D (Insert hearts here, because it doesn't allow that...)!**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N - hey, here's what you all have been waiting for! This chapter was really complicated. I typed it out, and tried to upload it, but it wouldn't let me, saying it wasn't the correct file type. I saved it a bunch of times as different things, and even tried saving it as a completely new document, but it still wouldn't upload. So then I tried copying and pasting into an old document, except, one problem... you can't copy and paste into this. So, I took the time to retype the whole thing... So, you better love it! ... Just kidding, but seriously, I hope you like it.)**

**From: Bella**

_Okay, so I'm letting you find Ally on your own tonight, because I know you can, even if she is wearing a mask. You guys are so close, you'll probably be able to tell it's her just by her body language. If you need anything, come find me, I'll be in a purple dress. Have fun, see you there! (: Oh, and do the plan right, or I'll slap you._

* * *

Gee, thanks for the words of kindness, Bella. I shook my head as I adjusted my bow tie. I am wearing a black dress shirt and a shiny red bow tie. I am wearing a black mask that covers my face, since the dance is a masquerade. As Bella pointed out in the text, I should have no problem finding Ally tonight. I will be able to see who she is even with her face covered, and knowing her, she will probably be in a red dress.

The thing that I am worried about, however, is if she will know that it is me. I don't really want her to know until I execute the plan - hopefully, she will be so distracted, she won't realize it's me. It's been a long day - I woke up this morning, decked out in red and yellow clothing, for Miami Arts spirit day. I even borrowed a pair of yellow jeans from Dez. I had to go all out, because today was the last day, and I want to be king. The judges didn't reveal scores today, or hint at who was winning, because they want it to be a surprise at the dance tonight.

Another surprise was that in honor of the dance tonight, school got let out early. Administration knew that the girls would want to take a long time to get ready, whereas us guys couldn't care less. I ended up going home and napping most of the day, since the dance wouldn't end until midnight.

Ally and I chatted briefly throughout the day, offering a few smiles to one another. Things were still awkward, though. We both knew that the other person had things to say, and if Ally is in the same situation as me, we are both very nervous. I just want tonight to run smoothly, so that we can talk about everything tomorrow.

"Aw, you look so adorable," my mother exclaimed, pinching my cheeks and clapping her hands together. "Is Ally going to come over for pictures?

"No, she's getting ready with Bella, a girl from school," I explained. "She is over at her house, but I'll try to get a picture with her during the dance, so you can see her dress."

"Thanks, sweetie," she said, kissing my cheek. I said goodbye to my father and Lizzie, wiping my mother's lipstick off my cheek, before heading out the door to my truck. I was actually really nervous for tonight - I know, Austin Moon? Nervous? Unheard of.

Well, it's true. There's just something about professing your love to your best friend of sixteen years that can freak a guy out, you know? By the time I got to the Miami Arts gym, the dance had just begun. The decorating committee did really well - you wouldn't ever know that kids sweat on these floors.

The lights were low, with strobes everywhere, and the room was buzzing with noise and movement. Everyone followed the mask policy, and it was kind of cool not knowing who was who. I danced around, offering a few lonely-looking girls some quick dances.

All the while, I was on the lookout for Ally. At one point, I saw a girl in a purple dress, sitting at a table by herself. I recognized the blonde hair immediately. "Hey, Bella," I whispered, taking a seat next to her. "Why are you by yourself?"

"Austin?" she asked. I lifted my mask a bit, revealing my face, before repeating my question. "I've been dancing with a lot of people, I'm just taking a break." I could tell that was true.

"Come dance with me," I said, as an electronic song came on over the speakers. Bella is a really good hip-hop dancer, and I am too, so this could be fun.

"Okay, I guess," she laughed, kicking her heels off. We had a small competition on whose moves were better as the upbeat song continued to play.

When it finally ended, we sat back down. "That was so much fun," I said, grinning. And it was. Bella is really fun to be around - I mean, I don't have feelings for her, but she is just great to hang out with.

"Totally," she agreed, guzzling down her water and trying to catch her breath. "I'm guessing you haven't found Ally yet?"

"I haven't really been looking," I admit. "There were a lot of girls earlier not dancing, so I danced with a few, helping them have fun. But I'll know Ally when I see her."

"Ladies and gentlemen, in about five minutes, we're going to bring the volume down, and play a few slow songs," the DJ announced. "So grab a special person."

Bella sighed, and I glanced over at her. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I really want to go slow dance with Duncan Meyers," she said, gesturing towards a guy sitting alone a few tables down. Duncan is a really good dancer, also on the homecoming court. He sits next to Bella a lot in homeroom.

"Then go ask him, he'll say yes," I said. She shook her head, and I stood up, making my way over to the guy. "Hey, Duncan," I said, lifting my mask for a second so he could see it was me. "You know Bella from homeroom?" He nodded his head, a grin spreading across his face. "Well, she really wants to dance with you, so you should go ask her."

"Totally, Bella is awesome," Duncan exclaimed, following me over to where Bella was sitting. She glared at me, but it quickly turned into a smile when Duncan asked her to dance.

"Thanks, Austin," she whispered, squeezing my arm. "Now, go find Ally before the song starts. You have like, four minutes. Oh, and don't screw up."

"Again with the words of encouragement," I joked, starting to scan the room. Suddenly, I saw a flash of hot pink from the corner of my eye, making its way towards me. I quickly ducked into the crowd, away from Izzy, and towards Ally.

I started zeroing in on only red dresses, knowing that Ally would be wearing her favorite color. None of them looked like something Ally would wear, until I saw a girl at the punch table, pouring herself a drink. She was wearing a bright red, ruffly dress, and black shoes. Her mask was black, with a large red flower on the side. Her brown hair was wavy, and her figure petite. And she kept glancing around nervously, reaching for a strand of hair to place in her mouth. _Ally_.

I made my way over to her, just as the song was about to start. "Would you like to dance?" I asked. She spun around and grinned, grateful that somebody was asking her to slow dance. The upbeat music died down, and a slow, mellow song began drifting through the speakers.

"What's your name?" she asked as we intertwined hands. I placed my other hand at her waist, and she put her other on my shoulder. We began to sway slowly. I taught Ally how to slow dance back when we were thirteen, before our first middle school dance.

"That's a secret," I replied mysteriously, offering her only a small smile. I know that I have a recognizable grin, and I want to stay secret for a little bit longer.

"Oh, so you're the mysterious type, huh?" Ally asked, giggling. I rolled my eyes at her flirtatious attempts, and nodded. They played a couple slow songs, and by the end of it, Ally and I were having deep conversations about our favorite things, and what we want to do in the future. I already knew all her answers, of course, and kept mine relatively vague, to not give away my identity.

We were both laughing, and it seemed so intimate, even though she thought we were strangers. "Alright, people," the DJ said into the microphone. "This is the last slow song of the night, so I suggest you participate. Grab someone, even if you don't know them, because you're all masked anyways."

Ally and I continued swaying, and "Meteor Shower" by Owl City came on over the speakers. "Oh, I love this song," Ally exclaimed, as we danced.

"I know you do," I said, grinning. It is one of Ally's favorite songs, and there is a huge chance that I payed the DJ ten bucks to play it at some point during the night.

"How do you know?" she asked, confusion evident behind her mask. I shrugged and continued spinning her, listening to the lyrics of the song.

_I can finally see_  
_That you're right there beside me_

_I am not my own_  
_For I have been made new_  
_Please don't let me go_  
_I desperately need you_

_I am not my own_  
_For I have been made new_  
_Please don't let me go_  
_I desperately need you_

I thought about how much the lyrics mean to me. Although I am an individual, I am not my own. Because I have found someone who I love and care for so deeply, that I will never be the same without them. I don't want Ally to ever slip away from me, which is why I need to tell her how I feel.

"I am not my own," I whispered into Ally's ear. "For I have been made new. Please don't let me go. I desperately need you." I felt Ally shudder at my words, and she pulled back to look up at me. We were both grinning, and before I knew it, leaning in for a kiss.

It was everything I have dreamed it would be. For years, I have been wanting to do this - to hold my best friend in my arms and kiss her. And now, I'm finally doing it. The only problem? She doesn't know it's me.

After a few more moments of bliss, we pulled away, and I felt dizzy - but in a good way. Ally smiled for a few more seconds, before frowning and biting her lip. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"That was perfect," Ally said, and I could hear the confusion in her voice. "But I don't even know who you are. There is only one person I ever imagined that a kiss would feel that way with. So I don't understand why I felt it with you."

"Well, maybe it's time for that guy to reveal himself," I said, reaching up to my mask. Slowly, with my heart beating a mile a minute, I lifted my mask, revealing my face.

**(A/N - well, that's the chapter! Sorry about the cliffy... Well, I'm actually not that sorry, because it makes for a better story. ;D Anyway, I don't usually do this, but I made the outfits that Bella, Izzy, and Ally were wearing, so here are the links, if you want to check them out. Just take out the spaces. Oh, and review!)**

**kdelauter . polyvore . com**

**all three dresses are there and labeled, so check them out. (:**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N - sorry, I give you guys full permission to kill me after not updating yesterday! I didn't mean to leave you guys with a cliffy for so long. But, here is the next chapter! It is extremely short, but also what you guys have been waiting for!)**

"You have never been very good at being mysterious, Moon," Ally said, just as I was lifting my mask off. She didn't look surprised to see that it was me at all - in fact, she just looked happy. So, she knew it was me?

"Wait, you knew it was me?" I asked her, confused. She grinned and nodded her head. "I think we need to go outside and talk." I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the gym, to a quiet bench outside. "How did you know it was me?"

"Austin, you're joking right?" Ally giggled. "First of all, nobody at this school as hair as blonde as yours - I knew it was you the second I saw you. And your smile - it gave you away. You also have a way that you carry yourself, and after sixteen years of seeing it, I got used to it. Plus, you knew "Meteor Shower" is one of my favorite songs, and even though you were trying to be vague with your answers, you gave away a lot about yourself."

"Okay," I said, nodding my head. It was amazing how much she knew about me. "But now I have a question. If you knew it was me, why did you let me kiss you?"

Ally bit her lip and turned her head a bit. "You knew it was me, right?" Ally asked, glancing around nervously. "You didn't just try to kiss some random girl, did you?"

"Of course I knew it was you," I laughed. "I mean, it took me half the night to find you, but the second I spotted you, I could tell. Now, back to my question."

"Did you ever think that maybe I _wanted_ you to kiss me?" Ally asked cautiously, smiling shyly. "I have been waiting for a while now. I was going to point out that I knew it was you as soon as you got here, but you seemed to have some sort of plan going, so I didn't want to mess it up."

"You wanted me to kiss you?" I asked incredulously, a grin breaking across my face. She laughed and nodded. "Okay, we have a lot of things to talk about. First off, Allyson Marie Dawson, I am completely and totally in love with you. I have liked you for years now, and I will admit to anyone who asks, I fell hard for my best friend."

"Well, Austin," she said, smiling over at me. "I'm not sure if I'm_ in love_ - we're only sixteen after all. I don't really know what love feels like. However, I do really _really_ like you, and I never want to lose you."

"I can accept that for now," I said, laughing. Yes, despite the seriousness of this conversation, we were both cracking up. That's what is great about loving your best friend - it isn't awkward at all. "Okay, the next thing we need to talk about is the past week."

"I guess it was a bit crazy, huh?" Ally asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll go first. I _hate_ fighting with you, and I'm not used to it. It started off with that girl, Izzy kissing you. I have liked you for a while now, Austin, and seeing that was heartbreaking. I thought you were kissing back. Another thing you should know is that Jake was just a distraction - I thought you liked Izzy, and I wanted to find someone else."

"But I _didn't_ like Izzy," I pointed out.

"And I _didn't_ like Jake," Ally countered. "I was trying to get myself to like him, but my thoughts always went back to you. Anyway, with the smaller arguments and the mixed emotions, the fights got bigger, and I had no clue what to do about it, Austin. I have been so confused the past week, and normally, you're the one who I would talk to about it. And then, when you dropped out of the talent show... Did you really think I couldn't win if you were performing?"

"I never said that," I said, giving her a small smile. "Those were your own words. The reason I dropped out of the talent show was because I wanted to focus on supporting you. I wanted to be there for you, and I couldn't do that if I was worrying about my own performance."

"Well, thanks," Ally said, giving me a hug. "I honestly would have choked without you there that night. You're the best friend that any girl could ever ask for. And I'm glad that we talked about this, because I feel like so much weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"Me too," I said, grinning down at her. Then, I nudged her with my elbow. "So, uh, about that kiss. Was it as perfect for you as it was for me?"

"I don't know," Ally teased. "You might have to refresh my memory." I leaned down and we kissed again, the feeling just as magical as the first time. I feel like I'm never going to get used to the sensation of kissing Ally, and to be honest, I don't mind.

"Uh, guys," a voice said from behind us. Ally and I broke apart to see Bella and Duncan standing there, hands intertwined. Bella was grinning at us. "I hate to break up your little moment, but they just announced king and queen, and you two should probably go get your crowns."

"We won?" Ally asked, surprised. I rolled my eyes at her modesty, considering she had been far in the lead all week. I'm the one she should have been worried about.

We followed Bella and Duncan inside, but Bella shot me a look, that I know meant she wants details later. I gave her a similar look in response, gesturing towards her hand that was holding Duncan's, and she blushed.

When we re-entered the gym, everyone burst into applause, making a path for Ally and I to walk up to the stage. I grabbed one of her hands and laced it with mine, leading her up there with smiles plastered on both of our faces. Principal Mellow reannounced our winning, and placed the crowns on both of our heads. We walked back down onto the dance floor, enjoying the last song of the night.

"This is perfect," Ally said, as we swayed together. "But now, what are... we?" I grinned, and spun her away from me, then back, holding her close.

"Well," I said. "I have always felt like we don't need a label to explain what we are. We have always been more than best friends, but never officially anything, right?" Ally nodded, a smile never leaving her face. "But, a little bird once told me that the homecoming king and queen _always_ end up going out. So, I have a question. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"On one condition," Ally said, with a sly smile. "We still have to be best friends, too. I'm not going to lose the best thing that has happened to me over the last sixteen years, if a relationship doesn't work."

"Trust me, I'm never going to leave," I laughed, ruffling her hair a bit. "You're stuck with me, whether it be as your best friend, or something more. But I do agree about the best friend thing. I want to keep what we have now, just add dating on top. Oh, and our relationship is going to work."

"Well, that sounds like a perfect plan to me," Ally said, leaning in to kiss me once again. Yep, the crazy sensations are still there, each time our lips touch.

And even though these past two weeks were a rocky start, I have a feeling that Miami Arts is going to turn out just as great as we originally hoped. Why? Because now, my best friend is also my girlfriend, and she has gotten over her stage fright, ready to share her potential. I have already made two good friends, Bella and Duncan, and, as I glance across the room, I see that Izzy and Jake are dancing together. Good. They've both moved on, and they are actually a nice match for each other. This couldn't get better.

**(A/N - sorry about the shortness, there just wasn't much else to say! There is only one more chapter after this! o: Well, it's really an epilogue... But yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading, and as usual, review!)**


	12. Epilogue

**(A/N - here's the epilogue! o: Enjoy! PS, this is set on graduation day!)**

"And now, a few words from our valedictorians," Principal Mellow announced. Yep, today is the day. Graduation day! The class of 2014 is officially ready to move on to the next step in their lives. Ally and I have been going strong since the beginning of sophomore year, after the homecoming dance. I feel like it was just yesterday, when in reality, it was nearly three years ago.

Time has flown by at Miami Arts, and a lot has happened. Sophomore year had a rocky beginning, but turned out great, shortly after the homecoming dance. Between being crowned king, dating my best friend, and making a few new buddies along the way, sophomore year was amazing for both Ally and I.

Junior year only got better, as Ally had officially broke her stage fright. I, on the other hand, started learning to write songs. Ally and I often write together, and our unbreakable bond is very evident through our music. We performed a duet in the talent show that year, and won. It was amazing, but the best part was that Ally and I did it together.

Senior year held a lot for us as well. Prom was fantastic. We performed in the talent show again, but this time Bella won, and she totally deserved it. Her dancing only got better over the years, and she and Duncan began dating. They are still going out to this day, and often hang out with Trish, Dez, Ally, and I. Bella and Trish turned out to be really good friends, since their personalities are so similar. Ally and I were voted _'Cutest Couple'_ and _'Most Talented'_ for senior superlatives, and it was overall a fun, relaxing year.

"The two students that were chosen for valedictorians display honorable characteristics," Principal Mellow continued. "They are both intelligent, talented, kind, charitable, confident, and work hard at everything they do. Normally, we would choose only one student, but these two were so similar. Plus, they're a couple, so we kind of had to go with both. Allyson Dawson and Austin Moon, please come up here."

Everyone clapped as Ally and I took the stage, dressed in our red graduation caps and gowns. We walked up hand in hand, taking our places behind the podium. "Hello, staff, administration, friends, and parents," I said into the microphone. "Thank you all for coming today. I want to start off by saying what an honor it was to attend Miami Arts for three years."

"The school not only has good education," Ally said, as we rehearsed many times. "But also an atmosphere that leaves you with an unforgettable highschool experience. Although the school was difficult to get into, it was all worth it. This school really does change your life. In fact, if anyone knew me at the beginning of my sophomore year, they would have never thought I would even be standing on this stage right now. Instead, I would be hiding behind somebody, gnawing on my hair."

"It's true," I piped up, making the crowd laugh, and getting a playful elbow in the side from Ally. "But she's right. And not only does this school change you academically and through your talents, but also as a person. If you knew me before my junior year, you would say I was immature."

"I _still_ say that," Ally joked, making the crowd laugh once again.

I chuckled as well, because we were trying to add humor into the speech. Everyone is a little upset about leaving this place and moving on. "I suppose I deserved that," I said, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, every student who has entered this school has left a different person. Not only are you wiser, experiences, and enhanced in your talents, but you also now have friendships that will truly last a lifetime."

I saw Bella and Duncan grin from their seats. "So yes," Ally said, smiling at everyone. "Our Miami Arts journey is coming to a close, but when one door closes, another opens. When you walk across this stage today, don't be upset. Don't look at it as the end. Look at it as a new beginning. Your lives are about to change once again, but let's face it, they will be changing forever."

"It's just a part of life that you learn to embrace," I said, reaching over and giving Ally's hand a squeeze. "And I know that each and every one of you is going to make a difference in the world. Now, if you would like, Ally and I have prepared a song for you. Is that okay?"  
The audience cheered us on, and I grabbed my guitar that was laying just off stage. Ally and I wrote this a few weeks ago, with graduation in mind. Ally and I sang the entire song together, our voices combining perfectly, as usual.

_And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives _  
_Where we're gonna be when we turn 25 _  
_I keep thinking times will never change _  
_Keep on thinking things will always be the same _  
_But when we leave this year we won't be coming back _  
_No more hanging out cause we're on a different track _  
_And if you got something that you need to say _  
_You better say it right now cause you don't have another day _  
_Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down _  
_These memories are playing like a film without sound _  
_And I keep thinking of that night in June _  
_I didn't know much of love _  
_But it came too soon _  
_And there was me and you _  
_And then we got real blue _  
_Stay at home talking on the telephone _  
_And we would get so excited and we'd get so scared _  
_Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair _  
_And this is how it feels_

_As we go on _  
_We remember _  
_All the times we _  
_Had together _  
_And as our lives change _  
_Come whatever _  
_We will still be _  
_Friends Forever_

_So if we get the big jobs _  
_And we make the big money _  
_When we look back now _  
_Will our jokes still be funny?_  
_Will we still remember everything we learned in school?_  
_Still be trying to break every single rule _  
_Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?_  
_Can Heather find a job that won't interfere with her tan?_  
_I keep, keep thinking that it's not goodbye _  
_Keep on thinking it's a time to fly _  
_And this is how it feels_

_As we go on _  
_We remember _  
_All the times we _  
_Had together _  
_And as our lives change _  
_Come whatever _  
_We will still be _  
_Friends Forever_

_La, la, la, la:_  
_Yeah, yeah, yeah _  
_La, la, la, la:_  
_We will still be friends forever_

_Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?_  
_Can we survive it out there?_  
_Can we make it somehow?_  
_I guess I thought that this would never end _  
_And suddenly it's like we're women and men _  
_Will the past be a shadow that will follow us around?_  
_Will these memories fade when I leave this town _  
_I keep, keep thinking that it's not goodbye _  
_Keep on thinking it's a time to fly_

_As we go on _  
_We remember _  
_All the times we _  
_Had together _  
_And as our lives change _  
_Come whatever _  
_We will still be _  
_Friends Forever_

_As we go on _  
_We remember _  
_All the times we _  
_Had together _  
_And as our lives change _  
_Come whatever _  
_We will still be _  
_Friends Forever_

_As we go on _  
_We remember _  
_All the times we _  
_Had together _  
_And as our lives change _  
_Come whatever _  
_We will still be _  
_Friends Forever **(1)**_

By the time we finished, it seemed not an eye in the entire place was dry, including Ally and I. I set my guitar down and pulled her into a deep embrace, kissing her cheek softly. The crowd clapped, and we thanked them, walking back to our seats.

The rest of the ceremony went like any other would. They announced each student's name, and choice of college, before handing them their diploma. Ally and I are both going to Julliard, on full scholarships. After that, we hope to make a career in the music business, and later settle down, marry, and have a family.

I thought back to the first time Ally told me that she loved me. I had told her the night of homecoming, the moment we became a couple. One evening, halfway through our sophomore year, I took Ally out on a date. I took her around in a canoe in a lake, and sang her the first song that I ever wrote for her. She loved it, even if it wasn't one of my better songs in hindsight. When we leaned in to kiss, the canoe tipped over, and we ended up having to swim back to the edge, now soaking wet. I remember Ally laughing so hard, then turning towards me seriously. That's when she said, it, and we both knew it was true.

Now, as best friends of eighteen years, and dating for two and a half, we know that we are going to be together forever. We have been for nearly two decades, so what is going to change that now? The rest of graduation was a mix of emotions. Some people were happy, since they finally made it out of highschool. Some people were sad, knowing they would never see some of us again.

But Ally and I were just - us. We went out to celebrate with our families, and I couldn't have asked for a better time. I couldn't have asked for a better best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better true love. I couldn't ask for a better family. I couldn't ask for a better highschool experience. And, I couldn't have asked for a better life.

**1) I don't own Graduation (Friends Forever). VITAMIN C does.**

**(A/N - well, that's it! o: I'm sad to see it end, but I already have a bunch of new stories set up, as well as the continuation of "A Summer to Remember". Let me know what you thought in a review or PM! Thanks for reading!)**


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